Space Oddity
by Istani
Summary: Captivity was not his favourite past time; he wasn't overly fond of torture and pain. Thor should have known that when he left Loki at S.H.I.E.L.D to have shawarma with his new best friends. Someone riffled and dealt out the cards for a new game in which much is the same and yet everything is different. A mortal witch is on a quest to save Loki from himself.
1. Chapter 1

Space Oddity

Summary: Captivity was not his favourite past time; he wasn't overly fond of torture and pain. Thor should have known that when he left Loki at S.H.I.E.L.D to have shawarma with his new best friends.

Someone riffled and dealt out the cards for a new game in which much is the same and yet everything is different. A mortal witch is on a quest to save Loki from himself.

The Tesseract has not lost its draw, the sceptre is in need of a new pawn to wields it, and somewhere in outer space The Other insists a deal once made must be fulfilled.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The Avengers belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, any characters or spells you recognize from the Harry Potter books belong to JK Rowling. Even the story title isn't mine; it's a song from David Bowie.

A/N There is some crossover with the HP universe, mostly the magic, but it's not enough HP to put it in the crossover section. This is as much a sequel to Children of the Revolution as there will ever be.

Chapter 1

Raven Snape and her friend Edie Black were sunbathing on the rooftop terrace when aliens attacked New York City. They, however, didn't take notice of any of that because the top floors of the building were protected by magical wards that kept the noises of the city at bay.

It was only when a spacecraft landed in her husband's greenhouse with a loud crash that Raven lifted an eye. A strange looking creature got off of its flying device and approached the two women. It didn't appear friendly, and most certainly it had not stopped for a cup of coffee, because it was wielding a bayonet like rifle.

Immediately, Raven jumped to her feet and brandished her wand. "Edie, get inside and stay there. I don't know how this-"

A flash of blueish light erupted from the alien's weapon.

"Protego!"

The surge from her wand sent the alien reeling backwards.

"Ah well, it's not immune to magic."

Meanwhile, Edie had rushed inside the Snapes' living room without looking back; she simply ran for the place she knew Raven kept a gun- even though her friend never used it. But to Edie it felt good and safe to hold a weapon in her hands as she slowly glanced around a corner towards the terrace.

There was a flash of red light, then a sparkle of blue that got countered by a white glow, and the alien lost its weapon when its arm was severed off. Grunting, it crashed to the floor., winced one last time and lay still.

"Is it dead?" Edie asked as she inched closer, aiming the gun at the lifeless form on the ground.

Cautiously, Raven gave it a scan with her wand, checking for vital signs, before she prodded it with her toe. "At least it doesn't move anymore- whatever it is. It's definitely none of the beasts known in the magical bestiary..." She glanced at her friend. "Oh, and Edie, if you want to threaten any known or unknown creature with a gun, you should at least remember to take the safety off"

Edie sighed and brushed a strand of midnight-blue hair behind her ear. When she was younger, she used to wear it in a Mohawk style but now, being older and not necessarily wiser, she preferred a geometrically cut bob. It failed to make her look more reputable, though, due to the many tattoos inked into her skin.

She put the gun away and moved a little closer to the strange creature as if drawn to it by some kind of weird fascination. Nothing could shock or surprise her anymore, not since the day, more than thirty years ago, she had learned that her friends were all magical and she was a Muggle. In the end, it didn't really matter. They were still friends and she was married to a wizard. "It's fascinatingly ugly, isn't it?"

Raven groaned. "Oh no, Edie, you can't possibly mean to-"

Too late. Edie had already pulled out her cell-phone and was taking pictures of the alien creature.

"Do you think we could possibly try to get off the helmet thing for a few close-ups?"

"Edie, this is madness!" Raven rolled her eyes. "Look around. New York is under attack. There are more and more of them coming from that weird hole in the sky and-"

"Yeah, it seems to be connected to that ugly Stark Tower." Edie observed quite correctly since the attack seemed to be focused to a few blocks surrounding said building, and the reason why she sounded slightly pissed off was because the Muggle billionaire Tony Stark had dared to build a higher tower than that of her husband, Regulus Black. "Oh look, there is the tin can man, zooming up to the wormhole- if that's where he gets his clean energy from then we're fucked up."

Apparently, that was not the case. A little later the _wormhole_ or whatever you might call it was closed, the aliens were all gone and the flying device that had landed in Severus' greenhouse made one last buzzing sound. Fortunately, it hadn't harmed the Mandrakes for their cries could have been fatal.

Meanwhile, Edie was taking a few more pictures of the now decidedly dead alien and she couldn't wait to make the first sketches. She was a tattoo artist, renown for her detailed drawings of the ugly, the horror that some people loved to get inked into their skin. Not many of them knew, however, that most of her inspiration came from creatures that really existed.

"I don't like it," Raven mused, shaking her head ever so slightly as she glanced from the crashed space craft over the glassy balustrade of her terrace and into the streets of Midtown Manhattan where the fires were slowly ceasing. "This is so very not like Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and no friendly Starman is waiting in the sky 'cause he'd like to come to meet us-"

"Yeah, it's definitely more reptile-like than spidery... but well, Bowie recorded that in the early seventies when we were kids. A lot of things have changed in the meantime."

"True..."

Times had changed, that was for sure, and they had changed in the wizarding world, too. With the dawn of the new millennium, Muggles had become aware of the existence of wizards and witches- well not the ordinary Muggle in the streets, they were still oblivious to a parallel society just right next to theirs. But the governments knew. Or rather, the intelligence services.

In an age of globalisation threatened by terrorist attacks, intelligence was the new currency. Muggle technology was improving constantly and at a tremendous speed. Surveillance cameras where everywhere, satellite pictures made it almost impossible for the wizarding world to remain invisible. Fortunately, all of that had started some years after Lord Voldemort's final defeat when the wizarding world was at peace and therefore not a danger, not another threat for the Muggles.

Deals had been made between the International Confederation of Wizards and its Muggle counterpart, the UN, to ensure a friendly coexistence. So far, so good.

Of course, there were always some incorrigible pure-bloods who still believed in being superior to Muggles, not realizing how very wrong they were. Then there were the traditionalists, who wanted everything to stay just the way it was, the way it used to be since the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was first signed in 1689. Most of them withdrew from the Muggle world almost entirely, and many of them moved to Hogsmeade, which had grown from a village to a prospering small town in 2012.

On the other hand, there were also the younger and more progressive wizards and witches, mostly half-bloods and Muggleborns, who understood their advantage of knowing both worlds and opted against living in the medieval times of the wizarding world. They thought the old ways antiquated, wondering why one would use the dusty Floo Network or bother to send a Patronus when there were faster and more efficient means of communication- like Twitter and Facebook- so they rather used smartphones and computers, the magic of modern times. Especially since there were simple spells to prevent Muggle electronic devices from crashing in a magical environment.

There were even intelligence services run by wizards and Muggles. The FBI founded a team of Special Agents investigating paranormal crimes committed by wizards and witches back in 1998, after Lord Voldemort's second attempt to rule the world. And ten years later, the non-governmental WIIA (Wizarding Investigation and Intelligence Agency) was born when the FBI experiment went wrong. It was headed by the old, battle-worn Auror Alice Steel, Raven's friend, mentor and boss.

Edie said goodbye soon after and so Raven called Alice Steel to give a brief report of what she had just witnessed.

"Turn on the TV, lass, it's on every channel." Steel said in a voice that sounded as if she'd gargle with barbed wire every day.

"Yep, but one of them landed on my terrace- well, it crashed into Sev's greenhouse to be precise-"

"Oh dear, are the Mandrakes alright?"

"It's refreshing how you worry about my safety, Al."

"You can take care of yourself. But the Muggles suffered enough today, they don't need to hear the fatal cries of Mandrakes to make this day even worse."

"Speaking of taking care of myself- this alien thing reacted weirdly to magic. My Protego Charm seemed to be more efficient than a Stunner, and when I cut off its arm with Sectumsempra, it died. I would like to take it to our lab for a closer look."

"Aliens are none of our business, Raven. Apparently, a group of superheroes took care of them. Tony Stark's Iron Man and some others. But before curiosity gets the better of you and you autopsy it on your kitchen table (much to your husband's delight, I assume), I'll send a team to clean up and you can enjoy yourself tomorrow."

"Thanks, Al."

"It's always a pleasure to see you happy, lass, even if you've got weird hobbies."

Raven laughed at that. It was true, she was fascinated with the work of medical examiners ever since she watched _Quincy, M. E._ in her youth. After Auror Training and working as an Auror for two years, she went to a Muggle medicine school in a futile attempt to become a medical examiner herself, but never sat an exam when she realized real life was not a TV series and that she would hardly ever leave her workplace in the morgue to collect more evidence.

Nevertheless, she had worked as an intern for the chief medical examiner in the New York crime laboratory while studying medicine, and she knew how to do an autopsy.

"Meanwhile," Steel continued, "watch TV if you want to know more about the attack. At the moment, the media's still in control but it won't take long until _they'll_ draw the curtain over it."

Since Raven had worked for the FBI- in fact, it had been Alice Steel who had introduced her to their Special Forces team- she knew very well who _they_ were, even if _they_ were faceless and nameless. The people in the background, pulling the strings, hushing up things. The very same people who had ordered the experiments. At first, they were covered as drug tests that every member of the team had to undergo on a regular basis. Only that they didn't check for drugs. Instead, they ran a thorough DNA analysis in order to find the wizarding gene, the one gene that distinguished wizards from Muggles. When they didn't find it they expanded the experiments on wizards and witches held captive at Quantico.

But now was not the right time to mull over whatever ethical or moral discrepancies had made her leave the FBI because Raven's phone was ringing again. The picture on the display showed her husband, and so she told Alice Steel to hold on for a minute in order to answer his call. First things first and Sev would always be her top priority

"Hey, love, you alright?" She asked, glad to know that the potions research lab where he was working was in the outskirts of New York and therefore far away from the mayhem that had happened in Manhattan.

"I worried about you when I heard the news. Are you alright?"

"Well, I actually didn't notice what the fuck was going on until that alien spacecraft thing crashed into your greenhouse- don't worry, your Mandrakes are fine. No harm done to them at all."

"Witch, you'll be the death of me," Severus Snape snarled at his wife. "I'm not worried about some fucking Mandrakes, I worry about you."

"I miss you, too, love. Come home soon, will you?"

He hang up, so Raven switched to the other line again when all of a sudden Severus appeared out of thin air, right in front of her,. "Al, I'll call you back."

She put her phone away in order to hug and kiss her husband, the well-established potions master Severus Snape.

They'd known each other since they were eleven years old, childhood friends that became lovers in later years even if their relationship had not been an easy one in the beginning. Now, however, they were an item for more than thirty years and had actually managed to get married fifteen years ago- not because she would have ever doubted her love for Severus but for a lack of time; Raven had simply been too busy studying forensic science while working three nights a week at the New York crime laboratory. Only to realize that she was a witch and not a Muggle scientist, and that she wanted a job where she could be both.

"Damn, Raven, you were so close to the middle of all this madness." Severus said when he finally let go of her. "But what actually happen?"

"Aliens attacked the city; superheroes saved us all." Raven turned on the TV and for a while they surfed from one channel to the next, each of them broadcasting the breaking news. As usual when big things happen, there were various experts explaining the events from their very own angle, and the more of them appeared on the screen the more diluted the truth became. Soon, the first conspiracy theories came up. The most absurd one was that Osama bin Laden had not been killed but managed to escape into another dimension where he found allies to launch an attack on New York City. Others explained the alien attack as a sign of the approaching apocalypse.

Then there were the survivors and eyewitnesses who had amazing things to report. A waitress said Captain America saved her life; one boy claimed he saw a huge green rage monster smashing the aliens; someone shouted, _'I love you, Thor!' _Tony Stark's Iron Man was being mentioned and one anchorman spoke of a group calling themselves the Avengers. It didn't take long for a second-rank politician already on campaign to make demands on reparation due to the destruction caused by the Avengers (cunning as he was he knew he couldn't sue some dead extra-terrestrials)- that was the moment Raven turned off the TV because no relevant news would come from that.

"Garlic prawns and salad?" She asked Severus.

"Sounds great," he glanced out at the terrace and to his greenhouse decorated with an alien spacecraft, musing, "It shouldn't have gotten through the barriers..."

"Well, check on that while I prepare dinner."

Although Raven knew a fair bit about wards (it was part of her Auror training years ago), Severus was a master in warding a house. Since they had grown up during Lord Voldemort's first rise to power, it had been necessary for him to learn this art in order to keep them safe, and in later years he had improved his skills to make their home not only safe but also undetectable by any means Muggle surveillance could possibly come up with.

-ooOoo-

"If it's all the same to you... I'll have that drink now." Loki said and smirked. He had been defeated but he'd been through worse without using his sense of humour.

The formidable group calling themselves the Avengers stared down at him. Grimly. Stark's lips twitched and he made a small move- well, it was his Iron Man suit that gave a metallic creak- as if he would actually consider to get him a drink. But perhaps it was more likely that Stark desired one himself. Probably he was upset about the destruction caused to his apartment. That, however, was not Loki's fault. He had not asked to get tossed around and smashed into the floor by that green monster.

But before anyone really moved, Thor grabbed Loki by the neck and lifted him to his feet. Every bone in his body screamed in protest and he wondered how many ribs the Hulk had broken. He knew they would heal soon...

An instant later, Loki tasted cold metal. A muzzle covered his mouth, and he heard the treacherous click of handcuffs made- his eyes widened- of finest Asgardian steel. Next, a collar came around his neck and chains rattled. But he didn't pay attention to the latter because he felt the sickening sensation of his magic being bound. Desperately, he tried to reach for it, but it slipped through his fingers like sand and there was only one little straw he could grasp- before the pain kicked in. It came over him in hot throbbing waves of red, and he knew there was no way he could heal his injuries now.

_Damn._

They would not see him flinch, though. He could still keep up appearance and so he smiled, even if all they got to see was a glitter of feigned amusement in his eyes.

Thor pushed him forward.

"Shawarma, now?" Stark asked.

Thor glanced at Loki, who thought it clever to nod as if he'd been invited, too. "We cannot leave my brother here."

_I'm __**not**__ your brother, you stupid oaf._ Loki wished Thor would not always forget that, but then again it was Thor, and he never accepted change easily.

"S.H.I.E.L.D has an operation base in the city." Barton said. "I'll call Fury."

When they arrived in the basement of S.H.I.E.L.D Central, Fury was awaiting them already. Six armed agents escorted Loki to the detention area, a room with white walls, white concrete floor, and bright lights that cast no shadows. In the middle of the room was- oh, surprise- a round glass cage. These mortals of S.H.I.E.L.D were just so predictably unimaginative.

This cage was smaller than the one on the Helicarrier, apparently not built to detain a huge green rage monster. Loki glanced around. He sighed, his last chamber had at least a small bench.

He would have loved to ask Fury for a magazine or tell Thor to bring him some shawarma, whatever that was. But it must be something really good if Thor was willing to delay their return to Asgard and leave him in this glass cage just to join his new friends.

_Now what would Odin say to that?_

Which reminds him that he wasn't that eager to return to Asgard either. He was so not looking forward to having one of those talks with his not father. At least the disappointment in Odin's eyes- _eye,_ he corrected himself- wouldn't hurt anymore now that he knew Odin was not his father. He didn't strive for his praise anymore... it had been a futile aim in the past, anyway.

Loki paced his cage. He would have been totally bored by the time Thor returned if fighting back the pain had not kept him busy. Every little step hurt, but if he sat down on the floor he'd probably not be able to get up again... not gracefully, at least. Or he'd simply pass out. Both options were not the show he wanted to give his spectators in the other room, watching his every move. And he knew they were watching. He had learned a lot about Midgardian technology during his not so glorious visit here to know what all these little cameras were for. So before he gave them something to gloat over, he'd rather bore them with pacing, putting up a stoic face. And ignoring the pain.

Later, Loki saw Thor talking to Fury and heard him say him that he was going to face Asgardian justice, and he knew the meaning of those words. Thor would get a benevolent smile from the Allfather and he a look of disgust. Then, probably, another cell. Of course, he could beg and plead and call Odin _father_ as many times as possible- the idea made him feel sick and it was not wise to get really sick when a muzzle covered your mouth.

Thor said something about the Tesseract then, and didn't he notice the slight twitch of Fury's upper lip?

_Why was the Tesseract in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D again?_

That very moment- _how very opportune_- Fury's phone rang.

Loki couldn't hear what Fury was saying until the director handed the phone to Thor with the words, "There's someone who wants to talk to you, calling from Norway."

Thor almost crushed the fragile device in his pranks.

"Jane? JANE! IS IT YOU? ARE YOU SAFE? THEY SAID YOU'RE IN NORWAY!"

Loki rolled his eyes. It was Thor's second time on Midgard and yet the oaf didn't seem to have learned anything about the technology of mortals, or else he wouldn't shout as if his voice had to carry his words all the way to Norway. This was so-

"We can fly her in, if you like." Fury suggested- _clever manipulating bastard_- and Thor- _stupid, naïve Thor_- agrees with a broad smile on his face. The prospect of seeing his beloved mortal again must have rendered him even more brainless than he usually was. Did he really not grasp what Fury was scheming?

The Tesseract was back with S.H.I.E.L.D and Fury was stalling. He was hoping to gain more time; time he would undoubtedly use for further research on the Tesseract. Time to finish Phase 2. Just in case. Because no matter how much he liked the idea of having a team superheroes to save the world, he trusted them as far as he could throw them.

Loki would have laughed out loud if nor for the damned muzzle. _How very ironic, dear not brother, you came up with this really great idea of turning me mute just now..._

-ooOoo-

Raven was just slicing tomatoes when the doorbell rang and two quite young, probably freshly recruited WIIA agents stood at her doorstep.

"Agent Ramirez and Agent Primrose, at your service Ma'am," a pretty Latino witch introduced themselves. "Director Steel ordered us to collect something from your terrace."

"Yeah, come in, please. You can help my husband to take that alien flying device from his greenhouse- oh, and don't forget the body.."

"You really killed one of those aliens?" The blond-haired wizard asked in awe. "Wow, that's pretty cool, ain't it, Camilla?"

"Primrose!" Agent Ramirez reprimanded him sharply. "We're here to do our job."

_Oh, she's a fierce one, that little Latino witch._ Raven smirked. Then she whispered to Agent Primrose, apparently a Muggleborn wizard. "You're interested in aliens? Well, take its body to the morgue and you can join Doc Higgins and me for the autopsy tomorrow."

"Yes, Agent Snape." Primrose answered obediently but he seemed to blanch a little; apparently he wasn't that interested in aliens anymore.

With a grin she watched them scurrying to the terrace, doing their job, while she busied herself in the kitchen again. That was the advantage of being a senior agent- she didn't have to clean up but could enjoy a pleasant evening with her husband instead. On the other hand, it also reminded her that she wasn't young anymore. Fortunately not, she thought sometimes. And having reached the age of fifty-two years wasn't even old when considering the life-span of wizards. Thanks to the longer life expectancy of the wizardkind, she didn't even look much older than thirty-something...

She dispelled these thoughts, shaking her head in disapproval. Why worry about a number? Annoyed at herself she sliced two cloves of garlic and added them to the hot olive oil in the pan, then decided to slice a third. She was a happy witch. She was married to the love of her life and she had made a career in criminal investigation all by herself.

"Ah, that smells good..." Without her noticing, Severus had entered the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the nape of her neck.

Raven turned around in his embrace to give him a quick peck on the check before she let the prawns drop into the pan, watching them sizzle in the aromatic oil.

"So, did agents Ramirez and Primrose do their job satisfactorily?" She asked at long last.

"Indeed." Severus whispered into her ear, causing a pleasant shiver to run down her spine. "They removed that extra-terrestrial flying device from my greenhouse; they removed the body. I tended to my Mandrakes. Now, we can enjoy our terrace again."

He uncorked a bottle of wine before he helped her to set the table outside. Despite the events that had occurred today, they were going to have a pleasant evening with good food, a good bottle of wine and good sex a little later. Raven was a happy witch.

"By the way, they asked me to tell you that Alice sent you some footage you might want to take a look at. Apparently she found something more interesting than what we watched on TV."

Her smile faded. So much about a pleasant evening-

"I guess that can wait until tomorrow," she decided then. After all, what happened today was not a case for the WIIA. _Aliens are none of our business, Raven, _Alice had said.

And yet, there was quite a lot of footage on her computer the next day. Raven stilled her curiosity because naturally, she was curious- you just didn't meet an alien every day, let alone witness hordes of them attacking New York. Thanks to the Avengers, everything had turned out well- or as well as possible- in the end. They had beaten the _Chitauri_ (as these aliens were called), had prevented a nuclear strike on Manhattan (some idiot would always think that the only way to solve a problem) and so the city still existed the day after. Damaged, but still standing, still alive. Iron Man had redirected the nuclear missile aimed at Manhattan and shot it into that wormhole in the sky.

Raven was just a bystander, a witch with some magical skills but there was nothing she could have done. Her skills paled in comparison to the powers of superheroes like the Avengers. She didn't have a suit, she didn't possess extraordinary strength, she couldn't turn into a huge, green rage monster. She was no demigod like that Thor of Asgard... she was just a simple witch...

All she could do was to learn and to understand, and therefore she went to WIIA headquarters to enjoy a day in Doc Higgins lab.

The alien- _Chitauri_- body was already on the dissecting table when she arrived . Medical examiner Horatio Archibald Higgins beamed at her with excitement. He was a wiry Muggleborn wizard with tousled grey hair, wearing big, round glasses that made him appear like a funny insect. But despite his appearance he was a well-trained doctor of medicine, magical healer, and chief medical examiner for the WIIA.

Raven learned a lot from him these past four years.

"My dear, you gave me such a precious gift with this one." Doc Higgins gushed, pointing at the alien- Chitauri. "I examined many beasts before but this... this is extraordinary."

"Extra-terrestrial." She said quietly, not wanting to correct him with her statement.

"Yes... yes... a very strange life-form, indeed. Never knew something like this could exist. Just look-"

He had already removed the armour from the body- or at least as far as he could since it seemed to be attached to the body by wires- and made the Y incision to lay open the internal organs of the creature. They didn't look human at all.

"Interesting." Raven observed, moving closer. "It looks like a reptile... well, to be more precise, like a mixture of a reptile and a machine."

"Exactly! They have the three-chambered heart of reptiles but instead of two atria there are wires not running blood but energy. That's why it died... or should I say _ceased to exis_t?- because you cannot kill what never really lived- when you severed its arm."

"So in case they ever attack again, I merely have to cut off a limb?"

Doc Higgins took off his glasses and pinched his nose before glancing at her again . "Well, so it seems... on the other hand, according to the footage Director Steel sent you, it might be even more effective to destroy their mother ship since they all seem to be linked to it."

"Great!" She said dryly. Although she had watched the Star Wars saga and could wield the Sectumsempra Curse like a Jedi light sabre, she wasn't prone to science fiction in general. She was a witch, and witches had nothing to do with aliens from outer space or wherever the Chitauri came from. There was no possible way she would ever fight them again- assuming it was true that the Iron Man really destroyed their mother ship when he sent the missile at it, as the footage she got from Alice Steel indicated.

About a week, while New York City was slowly getting back to normality and business as usual- because that's what the city that never sleeps always did, no matter how bad it had been hit- Director Steel called Raven and asked her to show up at headquarters as soon as possible.

"Oh no, another case..." she sighed as she kissed her husband. Severus was preparing to leave for a conference meeting of potioneers in Kathmandu, and she had hoped to accompany him. There was always so very little time left for them to be together.

Perhaps that was what has kept their love alive those past thirty plus years- time was precious.

"See you tonight, love." Raven kissed him again before she Apparated to WIIA headquarters.

It was located in an unobtrusive building in an unobtrusive part of town, hidden behind the windows of a flower shop that no one ever visited.

She passed the ghost of Frank, still running the flower shop even after he died in 1942, tying to ignore the sickening scent of decaying lilies as she urgently hit the button for the elevator that would take her down to the subterranean levels of the building.

Finally, the doors opened and Raven was face to face with Alice Steel, former Auror and director of WIIA, now.

She was sitting behind her desk, a table made of old mahogany wood, surrounded by computer screens. When Raven entered, she looked up and smirked, revealing a battle-scarred face crowned with a cap of shortly-cut white hair and a pair of very attentive green eyes.

"So good to see you," she rasped in that gargling barb-wire tone of hers. "How's your dear husband?"

"Just fine. Going to Kathmandu in a couple of days, as you may know, and I'd like to accompany him."

"No, you don't. I need you here."

"Why?" Raven asked, trying not to pout.

"Because Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D approached me with a request-."

"S.H.I.E.L.D? Aren't they the guys behind the Avengers, the superheroes that saved us all?"

"Aye, the very same." Alice replied.

Raven fell silent for a moment, clearly puzzled. "How can I be of any use to S.H.I.E.L.D? I'm a witch, not a superhero... this... this is so _very_ out of my league. "

"So it seems. But oddly, Fury asked for a witch- well, for someone with magical skills." Alice smiled at her; it was a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"You don't like this either?" Raven concluded.

"After our experiences with the FBI? Honestly? S.H.I.E.L.D is just another of those big and faceless organisations- but I met Fury before and he seemed to be rather okay for a Muggle. Mind, that doesn't mean I trust him. But it's up to you to find out what he's up to. "

Raven nodded thoughtfully before she asked. "What do you want me to wear for the meeting, Al? Traditional robes? Business costume? Or sweet and innocent in pink?"

"Leave the pink and go for a modest, professional appearance; S.H.I.E.L.D will like that." Alice advised her before she told her all she knew about their newest assignment. "You will meet a certain Agent Hill in the lobby of the Excelsior hotel, precisely at 2 PM. Maria Hill is Fury's assistant. She will take you to S.H.I.E.L.D Central."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thanks for reading; but don't be shy, please review.

Thanks to ellennar for beta reading.

Chapter 2

Raven wondered why Muggles always had to complicate things. She met Agent Hill in the lobby of the Excelsior, and Hill greeted her with a cool, professional smile... almost a bit calculating. Then they took the elevator to the rooftop where a helicopter was waiting for them. Big show.

The flight was short; it lasted a mere couple of minutes. During that flight, no one bothered to talk to Raven nor gave her a quick briefing. Occasionally, Hill eyed her with curiosity. Perhaps, traditional robes would have met her expectations better than the conservatively-tailored trouser suit and white blouse she was wearing; her hair was tied up in a tight bun. Well, it wasn't really Raven's preferred style either, but as long as she didn't know what S.H.I.E.L.D wanted she'd give them the unobtrusive secretary look.

Finally, the helicopter landed on another rooftop. There where some more helicopters and also two Quinjets- Raven had done her homework and so she knew those were VTOLs, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vertical take off and landing aircrafts.

Agents Hill guided her through the security check, then they took another elevator going down to the basement of the building and another security check.

She had known they would check her for weapons, therefore she had taken her gun. If they found a gun or her, they wouldn't take a closer look at the ebony stick she had hidden in the sleeve of her jacket, magically concealed. It gave Raven a feeling of safety. Just as much as the Muggles of S.H.I.E.L.D felt safe with all their security checks, surveillance cameras and meeting in the crowded hotel lobby in order to take a helicopter flight to this place. They could have given her the address and she could have Apparated... but well, probably these big organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D or the FBI simply loved to boast with all of their capabilities.

Agent Hill led the way down brightly lit corridors of cold white concrete. A group of four agents, all well-armed, escorted them. They looked as if they were very well trained in combat... and it was likely that even the secretaries and clerks in the upper floors of S.H.I.E.L.D Central were better trained in combat than Raven was. The idea made her feel very uncomfortably. Her hands were sweaty as her fingers searched for the handle of her wand...

They entered a room filled with lots of technical equipment, computers and monitors and all that stuff. In the middle of the room stood a tall, black man clad in a long black leather coat. He was bald, and when he turned around to greet Raven, the first thing she noticed was his black eye-patch and some faint scarring around his left eye.

"Raven Snape? Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D Central. I'm Nick Fury." The corners of his lips twitched a little in the hint of a smile, but his face remained stern and inscrutable. He was not a man who wasted time with pleasantries. Instead, he preferred to come straight to the point. "Now, to the matter of your assignment. You know, of course, about the alien attack on New York. It was on the news for days. But don't believe all you've been told."

"Yep. I already ruled out Osama Bin Laden as the initiator." Raven said dryly.

He didn't show amusement. "Fact is, the initiator of the Chitauri attack is in our custody. He is not of our world-"

"Director Fury, sir, I think you contacted the wrong person." Raven interrupted him in a polite but determined tone. "I'm sorry, but the WIIA has no dealing with aliens. We know nothing about them. We only concern ourselves with all things magically related."

"I am aware of that, and this is actually all about magic. I want you to meet our prisoner."

He led her to an adjacent room just as white and bright as the rest of this subterranean place, made of cold white concrete. Lights that cast no shadows lit a glass cage in the middle of the room. Inside that cage stood a man. Tall and lean, dark-haired, pale. A muzzle made of leather and silver covered his mouth and chin. From a collar around his neck, chains were running to handcuffs.

He was pacing the cage with an expression of boredom and perhaps a spark of amusement in his green eyes as they fell on Raven.

"That's Loki of Asgard. He came to earth with the glorious purpose to rule it, so he opened a portal for his army, the Chitauri, to attack Manhattan."

_Loki? Asgard? _Of course she knew Norse mythology and she wasn't even that much surprised- after all, _Thor _had been on TV. It was just... Loki was simply not the name for a despotic and feared supervillian; real evil answers to names like Lord Voldemort or something... well, grim.

"We have no quarrel with the people from Asgard. His brother Thor is our ally and I promised him he can take Loki back home to face Asgardian justice. But I need more than his word that Odin will punish him satisfactorily. I need guarantee Loki will never be able to threaten us again."

"I still don't see how I could be of any help." Raven said as moved closer to the cage.

They weren't alone in the room. There were five more agents with their arms at the ready, of them was an archer, and they all seemed to be gloating over the fact that Loki was inside the cage.

_Charming guys._

"Loki tricked us all with his magic. At the moment, it is bound. I wish it to remain that way."

"Okay..." Raven allowed hesitantly, feeling a little uncomfortable now. "Would you please care to specify that?"

"It's not that hard to understand, really. Is there a way to stop him from using magic ever again?"

_Not good. Muggles shouldn't even try to consider such an option. Perhaps the traditionalists were right in hiding from the modern world..._

"You may want to try it like in the good old days and light a human pyre."

The archer snickered- that guy had a sick sense of humour.

"We do not intent to kill him." Fury said. "Is there no... _spell..._ that can take away his magic?"

"Magic is not a toy you can take away from a wayward child." She glanced at Loki.

"He's not a wayward child. He's a mass murder and a war criminal." Fury objected.

"And there is still no spell." Raven lied, because in fact there was one. A curse. The darkest of magic. She recalled an old tome, still gushing red with blood leaking from its pages and the screams of horror were lingering in every single word that described how the magical core of a wizard had been torn out... an eternity of torture by the _Cruciatus Curse _while being skilled alive was like a balm in comparison to what that curse did. Loki seemed to know that too, perhaps the projection of her memory had been quite animated. His eyes widened in panic and he looked very, very scared.

Later, she couldn't quite recall _when_ she came up with the decision that Loki needed a friend. Perhaps it was that very moment when their eyes locked and she noticed the edges of his glamour were fraying, though not enough for Muggles to see. He was strong on the surface, trying to keep up his posture despite the signs of torture. Underneath that was a broken, damaged soul.

Lonely. Not evil... she had looked in the face of pure evil and even after so many years the face of Voldemort still gave her the creeps. Loki was not like that.

Deep down there was hurt, hidden behind whirling fumes of anger.

It was a dangerous cocktail. Dangerous for the world if he was being pushed too far, if he crossed the line without a return ticket. Dangerous for himself as well. Raven doubted he really wanted to go that way.

She needed time. _Trust me,_ her eyes told Loki. It gained her a frown.

"You can't take away magic," Raven told Fury. "You can bind it and I think that has already happened. I can check these bonds for you, in order to ascertain their safety. It will take a day or two because I may have to look up some things in my library, and if my report satisfies you in the end, you can let Thor take him back to Asgard- perhaps with the restriction that the bonds will never come off."

Fury pondered her words before he nodded. "Agreed."

Raven walked towards the door of the glass cage and waited. She turned around to arch a brow at Fury who was still standing where she had left him, arms crossed over his chest. It was so hard to figure him out.

Legilimency was a wonderful thing when performed gently, more like taking a sneak peek at emotions floating on the surface, but it was damn hard to do on a man with only one eye.

"You will have to let me in if you want a sufficient report."

"He's dangerous."

"I appreciate you worrying over me but I'm not an innocent damsel in distress. I worked for Auror office, for the FBI. I am a witch. I can take care of myself.

"Besides, you can still shoot him if things go wrong."

The archer took an eager step forward. He seemed to have some serious issues with the prisoner; there was cold hatred in his eyes... and memories of giving vent to his feelings...

Raven didn't want to pry into his mind any further; she had seen enough to make her feel sick and she needed to keep cool now that finally the door opened.

She slipped into the glass cage.

Loki stopped pacing and stared at her. There was a mixture of contempt and amusement in his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Raven." She introduced herself casually as she removed the muzzle from his mouth.

"I'm not overly fond of ravens... " he rasped, his voice rough from many days of disuse, as he smiled sardonically at her. "Huginn and Muninn... Odin's eyes and ears... "

"Ironically, I'm not a bird person either. So glad we found better ways of communication than sending owls-"

Apparently that wasn't very funny because he turned around and retched, chucking up a lump of dried blood.

Although it made no sense to ask him if he was alright, she did so anyway. She didn't expect to get a reply.

"I need a bottle of water!" Raven called out as she knelt down next to Loki who had crouched down on the floor. With her back to the agents outside, she let her wand slip into her hand in order to cast a quick _Revelio Sanguis _The spell worked like Luminol, it revealed traces of blood that were otherwise not visible to the eye- and there were a lot of traces, perfunctorily washed away with water. It proved her suspicion was right.

"Would someone please be so kind to get me a fucking bottle of water? Please. Now."

Reluctantly, her wish was finally being granted. It was the archer who rolled a plastic bottle into the cage without letting go of his bow that was still aimed at Loki.

"Don't let him fool you. He doesn't really need to drink. He's a monster, a murderer-"

"Ah, and you are?"

"Barton. Agent Barton."

He had missed the blatant suggestiveness of her question but it was good to know your enemies. In this freak show, the spectators were the real monsters. Clearly that guy had blood on his hands.

"What have you done to piss him off that much?" She asked Loki who was now sitting on the floor with his back against the glass of the cage. He looked amused.

"I've expanded his mind."

"Obviously not enough because he's quite narrow-minded."

Loki smirked. "My influence on him ceased abruptly due to cognitive recalibration. He was very useful. He told me everything I wanted to know."

"So, kind of an Imperius Curse?" Raven wondered aloud as she handed him the bottle of water and told him to drink slowly. But even a god or a demigod of Norse mythology can act unreasonably if he hadn't been allowed to drink for- however long. She was certain no one at S.H.I.E.L.D had bothered to remove that damned muzzle to give him food or drink.

He coughed a great amount of water up again, shaking his head at his own folly.

"That's why I told you to drink slowly." Raven reminded him in a soft tone.

"So, Imperius- is that what you mortals call it?"

"It's one of the three Unforgivable Curses. Although I doubt Barton knows it he seem to take it literal." She thought it wise to cast a non-verbal Muffliato Charm so that the agents outside of the cage could not overhear them. Of course, there were still the surveillance cameras following their every movement but there would only be a unidentifiable buzzing on the audio track and they would be busy with debugging...

"I didn't force him to act in a way that's not natural to him; I merely used the resources he provided and altered his top priority."

"Let me guess- you made your own needs his top priority?"

Loki smiled and took another sip of water. Raven chuckled at the way he feigned innocence. It was hard to believe he was a mass murderer when he looked like a mischievous boy whose prank had blown up in his own face.

"As much as I enjoy our little talk- and I would even offer you a seat if there were one- but is Fury really that unimaginative? Does he believe beating me up will turn me into a forgetful imbecile so that another pretty face can pretend to be my friend? This is so predictable. Pathetic. He has to try harder to make me long for a balm."

Raven was surprised by his sudden mood swing, and she had no clue what he was talking about now. "I... I would prefer if he does not try harder. I don't know much about Fury; I only met him today. He approached me with an assignment but he doesn't yet know I never accepted the conditions. I am not working for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So what's your bargain, little witch?"

"Bargain?" She arched a brow at him. "Well, that was never my intention. I simply don't like it when Muggles come up with the weird idea they can decide if someone is allowed to perform magic, only because they don't know anything about it, and they fear what they don't know or can't explain in a scientific way." She remembered the experiments at Quantico and shuddered. "Also, I don't accept torture- I think the way a prisoner is being treated tells a lot about the people who hold him captive, and the way they treat you is so clearly a violation of the human rights-"

Loki cut her off with a bitter bark of laughter. "_Human_ rights? I'm aGOD, you silly witch."

"Well, sorry, but I'm not overly religious. You may be a god, but with your magic bound you're just a punching bag for guys like Barton who vents his frustration on you. You bleed. You hurt. Your bones break. You need food and you need drink. All of that makes you very human in my eyes, and I think you suffered enough- even if Barton calls you a monster and a murderer. I don't think he's any better."

"Are you?"

She took her time to ponder his question, then she shrugged. "I don't know. At least I never gloried in the pain of others. That doesn't mean, though, that I never enjoyed being a bitch. I don't have very high moral standards, but I don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary. And- as I mentioned before- I don't accept torture..."

… _for I have seen the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse too many times, crying tears of blood..._

Raven reached out to touch Loki's arm in a placatory gesture, but she gasped when her fingers seemed to fall through his glamour until the image of a still somehow healthy-looking demigod faded to reveal how very bedraggled he really was, all skin and bones... so many broken bones... a deathly pale, haunted face with dark circles around green eyes... drops of sweat running down his forehead while he was panting, trying to still the pain...

He slapped at her fingers as he withdrew his arm from her touch, chains rattling.

"I don't need your pity!" He lashed out viciously.

"It's not pity I offer," Raven said unfazed by the sharp tone of his voice because it sounded all too familiar to her. Severus had been just like that when they were younger, and yet she had endured his outbursts of rage in hope for... well, he was still her best friend and the best husband possible... "What's wrong with compassion and sympathy?"

"Sentiments!" Loki scoffed. "Childish needs."

"Do you want to get out of this cage or is that just another childish need?"

"What?" His eyes widened in disbelief at what Raven just proposed to him. Or hadn't she? He eyed her with curious interest. "Please, go on and tell me all about your marvellous plan to release me from the hospitality of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Well, I still have to work on some details. Let me surprise you tomorrow. Deal?"

He smirked. "What do you want in return?"

"Tell me something about the bonds to satisfy Fury."

"The prisoner was cooperative after I gave him some water. You know, sometimes it can't hurt to be kind."

"He threatened our world with war, he and his allies almost destroyed Manhattan, he killed one of my best men- surely you don't expect us to coddle him."

Raven shook her head but refrained from explaining Fury the difference between coddling and treating someone decently.

"You said he was cooperative- what did you learn?" Fury pressed on. He wanted results and he was slowly losing patience.

"It's about runes. They bind his magic. It's not the metal, which is good because I know nothing about metal from other worlds."

"But you know about runes?"

"Yes." Raven smiled at him; she used to be good at Ancient Runes when she was at school... some thirty plus years ago. Was there a difference to Asgardian runes? It didn't matter anyway and Fury didn't have to know that. "I will have to check on some more details in my library-"

Fury's upper lip twitched a tad, perhaps he thought books were outdated in the glorious days of computers and the internet, and she decided it couldn't harm to let him believe she was just as old-fashioned as the traditionalists.

"-yeah, that's what we do, poring over dusty old tomes. I will be able to tell you more tomorrow, but I might have to talk to the prisoner again. My final report will be ready the day after tomorrow. Then you will know with absolute certainty if the bonds were meant to bind his magic eternally, and you can send him back to Asgard with Thor-" Raven paused to frown and she rubbed her temples as if she had forgotten something- "Ah, speaking of Thor... do you think there may be a chance for me to talk to him? He may be able to provide me with further information."

Fury pondered her question briefly, then he said. "I will arrange a meeting. But I must warn you. Despite all that Loki did, Thor still considers him his brother and he tends to be quite... rash. Don't give him the impression that Loki is not being treated the way he deserves."

"I understand. You're probably more capable in judging that than I am." Raven lied smoothly and wished she could simply curse him to give him a taste of his own _hospitality._

ooOoo

Loki pretended there was nothing more interesting in this world than the bottle of water he was holding in his hands; it was truly amazing how something as pure and simple could please him so much. With each drop that trickled down his throat it was hurting less, and the taste held the promise of silver linings... which was a ridiculous notion, of course, but one fuelled with the hope of not being left to rot in this cage.

All the while he was listening closely to the conversation between Fury and the witch. She may not look like it but she was a devious one, lying ever so smoothly to either him or Fury, He rather preferred it to be Fury. Captivity was not his favourite past time and he wasn't a great fan of pain, either.

Figuring out the Avengers, how they ticked and what would set them off, had been easy game thanks to Barton's knowledge. The witch, however, was totally unknown quantity. Until today, he hadn't even known that magic still existed on Midgard.

_Make a note to find out more about the realm next time you're trying to conquer one..._

Alas, there'd been no time to come up with a good plan. There'd just been the Void, the Chitauri... and rage... which was never a wise counsellor. Anger could be cathartic but apparently that didn't work for him. He had more enemies than he could counts and no matter what the intentions of the witch were, she at least had not met him with hatred, disgust or prejudices.

Unobtrusive at first glance- so unlike Agent Romanoff with her fiery red curls and delicious curves- there was more to her than met the eye.

The Black Widow's ledger was dripping; it was gushing red.

_Can you wipe out that much red?_

_You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are part of you and they will never go away._

The witch had her own code, too. Unfortunately, Loki was still far from having figured her out, didn't know how questionable her morality was or if he could manipulate her sympathy with his silver tongue and persuade her to free him, even if that had never been her intention.

He recalled her ridiculously blue eyes telling him to _trust_ her.

Like love, trust was a for children.

Pathetic.

Trust was a fickle thing that dissolves into thin air when being trustful slaps you hard in the face and tosses you into an abyss...

_No Loki._

Then, there was the Void and the Chitauri and his need to come up with a bait. In retrospect, it was an idiotic plan to free the world from freedom because actually, he quite liked freedom. _Isn't it ironic how you take these little things for granted and only miss them when they're taken from you? Like water and freedom..._

The witch was looking at him; he could almost feel her eyes resting on him. She was leaving.

'_See you tomorrow, Loki._' She said but these words never left her smiling lips, they were merely ringing in his head.

He smirked, acknowledging her skills in non-verbal communication, and he would have loved to have a lengthy conversation with her, cracking jokes about guys wearing eye-patches- right under Fury's one eye. _Gods, I miss my magic.._

ooOoo

It was futile to mull over decisions long made, or to question your own sanity after kicking the one stone off that would turn into an avalanche. _What have I gotten into now?_ Raven wondered.

Of course, it was not too late for her to change her mind. She could still call Fury and say, 'sorry, I'm the wrong person, I can't help you.' She could forget about Loki- after all, she had no obligations towards him and, let's face it, he had tried to subjugate her world, had wreaked havoc in Manhattan... there was no way to justify what he'd done.

Well, but torture was no solution either. It won't stop crime and it will never bring back the beloved ones that died; it only caused unnecessary suffering. And that was exactly the point why she could not forget about Loki. She could not turn a blind eye to the fact that they would proceed to torture him just to find out how much it would take to break a demigod.

Raven would not let that happen. But humanity was only one reason; the other and probably her main motivation was less noble. She simply didn't like Fury. His request was presumptuous, even if he pretended it was for the safety of earth.

Raven met Thor in a small café (Agent Hill led the way) He looked exactly the way she had expected, given the pictures she'd seen on TV. Tall, blonde, muscular- a warrior from another world, and so very out of place in this small café. Of course, people recognized him- who wouldn't? He was the only guy in New York who'd take a large hammer on his date with the lovely Jane Foster- so he scribbled autographs and allowed his fans to take pictures of him. When he wasn't busy satisfying his status of a celebrity, he gazed star-crossed into Jane's brown eyes.

_Aww... the sweetness of puppy-eyed love... _

"Lady Maria!" Thor got up to greet Agent Hill, who merely nodded her acknowledgement and introduced Raven to him. They didn't like to waste time, these agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Agent Snape has a few questions concerning Loki-"

"What's with Loki?" The god of thunder had a really thunderous voice that peaked at the name of his brother, and it seemed he was always expecting the worst when Loki was mentioned.

"Loki's just fine." Raven lied. She didn't doubt Thor would march straight into S.H.I.E.L.D central and smash the glass cage with his hammer to free Loki, if he'd have the slightest notion of how S.H.I.E.L.D treated his brother. But nothing would be gained by that. Thor would take Loki back to Asgard where he'd have to face Asgardian justice, and Raven wasn't certain what that would do to him.

Meanwhile, Agent Hill and a guy sitting in the corner of the café, wearing sunglasses, reading a magazine (never trust a guy wearing sunglasses in a café) had cleared the place of all its clients in order to grant them more privacy.

The owner of the café looked crestfallen, so Raven ordered a coffee to cheer him up. Black. No sugar. The company of Thor and Jane was saccharine enough.

"You saw Loki? May I request the reason of your visit?"

Thor was so easy to figure out. He was everything that Loki wasn't. Straight-forward, righteous, credulous, kind-hearted, but also brawny and rash, and so very... _Gryffindor-ish._

He looked slightly ashamed for having left Loki in the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D so he could spend a couple of days with his lovely Jane. _Well, he should be..._

"S.H.I.E.L.D asked me for an investigative analysis to determine the psychological aspects of his character-"

"Have a care how you speak. Loki is not a psycho. He may be beyond reason but he's still my brother- well, he's adopted."

"Now that explains a lot..." Raven mumbled. "No offence meant, but Fury worries and I'm only trying to do my job."

"I take it you're a profiler?" Jane asked.

"Sort of. Let's say I'm well versed in quite a few aspects of criminal investigation and forensic science, and criminal psychology is just one one them." It wasn't even a lie. While working for the FBI Raven had taken courses in criminal profiling and investigative analysis only to come to the conclusion that psychology was much too theoretical for a skilled Legilimens.

"You said S.H.I.E.L.D asked you- does that mean you're not usually working for them? And if so, who are you working for? FBI? CIA? NSA?"

"WIIA." Raven replied with a smile since Jane seemed to like abbreviations.

"I don't know that," Jane admitted to Thor.

"We're a small, non-governmental agency for information and investigation." Raven left out the wizarding part because she was not in the mood to explain magic to a scientist. Jane Foster was an astrophysicist, Agent Hill had told her.

Thor shrugged. "So what do you want to know about Loki? He's safe where he is. Odin's bonds will prevent him from doing any tricks."

_Tricks? Is that how he contemplates magic? _It had been a wise decision not to tell Thor she was a witch. Probably he'd just grow suspicious of her, or expect her to be hand in glove with Loki... which wasn't even that far-fetched, come to think of it.

However, that meant she had to change her strategy. She could not produce her wand and extract memories from Thor as she had planned.

"Just tell me something about him. Was it always his career aspiration to domineer over our world?"

"Loki desires a throne- any throne- because he envies me and imagines he was always living in my shadow. He seems to have forgotten the good times we shared. Sometimes, I miss my little brother and wish there is still something left of him. I don't even know when his envy turned to hatred... on the day of my coronation he told me to never doubt he loves me as a brother and a friend..."

Raven could see the memory on the surface of his mind and tried to memorize it for later use. She didn't really listen to his words after that but delved further into his mind instead. There she could see more memories, some clear, some blurred. They were not as vibrant as extracted ones but they would suffice.

Then, there was only one more question left.

"You mentioned Loki was adopted. When did he find out?"

"About a year ago." Thor replied.

"And you all lied to him for how many years exactly?"

"Our parents kept the truth from him because they didn't want him to feel any different."

Raven fought the urge to bang her head on the table. Damn, these Asgardians were basically mythology, they lived hundreds or thousands of years, and she could very well imagine that having been lied to for centuries was enough to drive even the sanest man mad with rage.

"However that's no reason to leave a trail of chaos and destruction in his wake." Thor continued, and now Raven wanted to punch him instead of hurting herself, but sadly, you just can't punch someone as strong as a mountain and hope he'll crumble.

With gritted teeth, she thanked Thor for the information and managed to mumble a somewhat polite goodbye before she took her leave through the backdoor. In the dingy little yard behind the café she lit a cigarette, inhaled greedily, and glanced around. Apparently, there were no agents of S.H.I.E.L.D observing this area which made it safe for her to Disapparate.

OoOoo

A moment later, Raven was at WIIA headquarters and walked straight into Alice Steel's office.

"Al, I need your help."

"Knock, knock, please come in dear Raven," the old Auror said teasingly but when she saw the look on Raven's face she frowned. "S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Not beating about the bush, Raven came straight to the point. "Fury introduced me to a prisoner of S.H.I.E.L.D, a guy called Loki. He initiated the alien attack, but he's not really evil. Now, he's helpless, his magic is being bound, and the noble agents of S.H.I.E.L.D use him as a punching bag to vent their wrath on because he killed one of theirs. Fury would love to kill him off, too, had he not promised Thor that Loki would come to face Asgardian justice- did I mention they're some kind of gods from Norse mythology?"

"Is this tale getting any weirder?" Alice deadpanned.

"Oh, the best is yet to come. Fury had the nerve to ask me for ways to not only bind magic but to take it from Loki-"

"That evil son of a bitch!"

"Exactly."

"Oh no." Alice groaned, knowing Raven long and well enough to guess what was coming next. "Don't give me that look, lass. You can't possibly mean to-"

"He needs help."

"He's from Asgard. Let this own people help him. He's not our responsibility."

"He's a wizard in need; his magic is being threatened- therefore he is our responsibility."

"Raven..."

"No, don't Raven me. He's in danger of becoming really dangerous, but he's not evil. Not yet. Push him just one step closer and he will fall."

"Is he, by chance, tall, dark-haired and not entirely unattractive; and does he remind you of your dear husband when he was younger?"

"He's lonely and damaged and hurting and yes." Raven frowned at her. _Never underestimate Al_. "How do you know?"

Alice smirked ever so slightly as she turned around one of her computer screens for Raven to watch the video of an elegantly clad man walking down the staircase of a building that could have been a museum or a theatre, every step so full of grace and energy-

Loki.

"Ah, so that's how he looks like when not being beaten to pulp and almost every bone in his body is broken, and he cannot heal because his magic is bound." She said sarcastically.

"Now, don't give me that, Raven."

Raven closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, Al. It's just... I'm so fucking upset."

"And I'm slowly beginning to see the reason why..." Alice mumbled almost inaudibly as she glanced at another screen and decided that Raven didn't want to see that.

"How did you come by that footage anyway?"

"Lass, do you think I'm a lazy old cow who sends her best agent to an unknown assignment for a questionable organisation such as S.H.I.E.L.D without checking on them? Do I really have to mention that I asked Rocco to hack into their computer system for more information the very moment Fury called? As it seems, he finally succeeded."

_"Did you ever doubt that, lovely Alice?" _A dark, smooth voice came from out of nowhere. "_And hello Raven, my sunshine."_

"You know that sunshine gets you killed, don't you?"

The voice chuckled, then Rocco's face appeared on the screen in front of her, baring some very sharp, pointed teeth as he smiled.

Rocco was the WIIA's computer genius and probably the weirdest, most eccentric guy Raven had ever met. His face was so pale it stood in stark contrast to his khol-rimmed eyes and it was framed by curtains of long, straight, purple hair. He looked just like a teenage Goth, but in fact he died when he was a teen Goth with a fatal fascination for graveyards and creatures of the night. Now he was a vampire; thanks to the one who had bitten him that fateful night in late eighties.

Eagerly, he satisfied all the clichés expected of both a Goth and a vampire. He actually slept in a coffin; he would wear only dark, preferably black and billowing clothes; he listened to gloomy music... but he couldn't kill to save his own life. Thanks to the glorious days of computers, he didn't even have to as long as he had free access to the internet and therefore to all blood banks in the whole wide world.

_"That's why you're my sunshine, dearest Raven. Although, I have to admit I'm quite shocked by that _thing_ you're wearing."_

"That _thing_ is called a formal dress suit. Al wanted me to look businesslike when meeting with Fury."

"Now don't blame it on me, lass. I merely asked for professional appearance, not for a frustrated secretary."

"At least I kept up an unobtrusive appearance." Raven countered as she ran her fingers through her hair to make it come loose, soon falling in soft black waves around her shoulders, and she sighed with relief when at least that tension ceased.

_"Much better!"_ Rocco remarked while his long nails (polished in black and purple) were typing at an absurd speed - considering the length of them.

"Hey ho, hold on, sharp tooth. Don't go digging to deeply into S.H.I.E.L.D's system!" Raven exclaimed, suddenly alarmed. "If we want to free Loki- and I guess we agreed on that already- we have to keep a low profile. We don't need to know their darkest secrets, right? Just give me everything you have about him, all the footage S.H.I.E.L.D saved on their servers, plus all the recent stuff of their surveillance cameras. I need to know if there are always guards in that room with the cage; I need to know all about their shift schedule- things like that."

Rocco pouted. _"That's not half as much fun..."_

"Be a good boy, Raven is right." Alice said before addressing Raven. "Have you given Fury a sensible reason for visiting again, or do you have to break into S.H.I.E.L.D Central?"

"I told him I'd do some research about the runes that bind Loki's magic and come back tomorrow."

"Very well, that grants us the time we need to figure out what to do. Rocco, send Raven all the footage about Loki; and lass, you watch it and then you decide if he's really worth saving. If you're still set in your belief it's the right thing we'll go into details tomorrow morning."

With that Raven was being dismissed.

ooOoo

"Do I have to worry, love? Instead of joining me in bed you prefer to spend the night watching this handsome fellow."

"I'm sorry, Sev." She turned around to give him a kiss, "but this is a tricky case."

"You told me that much already."

He glanced at the holograms hovering in midair, some of them true-to-life, some slightly blurred, but they all showed the very same face.

"So that's Loki?"

Raven nodded.

There were holographic projections of memories and video footage all over the room. The days of staring head down into a Pensieve were long gone. Modern technology had gone hand in hand with a more modern approach to magic and ways to combine both, resulting in what Severus was seeing now.

He handed her a glass of wine, then he pointed at the slightly blurred images.

"Are those the ones you got from Thor?"

"Unbeknownst to him, yes. I know it's rude to pry about it someone's mind and steal copies of memories, but I couldn't ask him to give them to me or wave my wand at his face when he doesn't seem to like magic."

Raven enlarged a scene and replayed it. Thor said, _'...some do battle, others just do tricks...'_

"Is that the common attitude in Asgard?"

"It appears to be a realm of fierce warriors."

Severus sneered at that.

"I see you're already warming up to Loki, eh?" His wife remarked.

"Well, I know what's it like being scorned." Severus picked another of the images and studied it, then he played the video material of Loki's arrival on earth (courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D), contemplating both lost in thought. "It's hard to believe that's one and the same person."

"As far as I understood, there's about a year between them, a year in which he seemed to have disappeared- Thor didn't elaborate on that- and then he just arrived from another dimension of space. Perhaps travelling such distance is quite trying." Raven assumed.

"He _disappeared_?"

"I will find out about that as soon as he's safe."

"Wherever he was and whatever happened to him, it almost killed him. He's haggard, disorientated and did you notice the mad, haunted expression on his face?" Severus continued watching the video footage and shuddered at the idea that S.H.I.E.L.D had unlimited access to all the satellites and surveillance cameras in the world; they could spy on everyone, everywhere. He made a mental note to check on his wards again, although he had already made his home unplottable to Muggle technology.

"Loki's plan for world domination is absurd; I'm surprised he didn't realize that because he seems to be an intelligent guy. I'm wondering if he really wanted to rule this world or if it was just a crazy idea to get away from where he was before. Anyway, it got him out of the frying pan and into the fire."

_'This doesn't have to get any messier.' _

_'I've come too far for anything else.' _

Raven recalled a conversation between Fury and Loki which seemed to support her husband's train of thoughts.

"Do you think I'm a fool for wanting to help him?" She asked softly. "I mean, after all he's done- he killed, he sort of _Imperiused_ others to do his biddings- and still, knowing all that, I can only see the battered and bruised man who sorely needs a friend."

Severus smiled at her. "I think you're a fool for sitting up all night, trying to find a reason why you want to help him, when you already made up your mind. Come to bed with me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been a particularly bad night for Loki. For the better part of the morning he drifted in and out of consciousness, wishing he'd kept his bloody mouth shut. But it had been so tempting to taunt his aggressors, now that the muzzle was gone. Finally he could laugh in Barton's face, laugh at his unrequited love for Agent Romanoff... he shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have laughed at their poor attempts to break a god. Fact was, he was not immortal. And humans were very innovative when it came to causing pain. They also had very creative ways of using electricity which gave him a totally new sensation and the word _pain_ a new dimension. It didn't even leave nasty marks like bruises or broken bones, no ugly stains of blood on the floor.

He had tried not to scream. Had not wanted to give them that satisfaction...

_"You will beg me to stop!"_

_Loki was on the floor, panting. Barton grabbed a fistful of his hair to pull him up until he was actually kneeling in front of the agent._

_"Now that's better, isn't it? You're freed of freedom and get a fair share of your own mad ideas. Monster!" Barton spat at him, then the heel of his boot crashed hard on his right hand, breaking all the bones..._

Eventually, in the course of the night, he had screamed. His throat was raw and he wondered if he would survive another night. But he wouldn't beg.

His hand had swollen to twice its usual size, looking like an unidentifiable lump of bloodied flesh, and the handcuff had gotten tighter, cutting into his skin to increase the pain.

He had long given up pretending he was alright, couldn't even think of pacing his cage with an air of boredom. But he kept up his glamour, that last streak of magic left to him. At least they wouldn't get to see how very, very close to breaking a god they really were.

His sense of time had long left him. In the bright light of his prison day and night were all the same, and he only knew it was night when the torture started. His tormentors seemed to care for keeping up a daily routine.

_Does Fury know?_ Loki wondered briefly. After all, he had promised Thor- but Thor had never come back, and as much as he didn't miss his not brother, he would have loved to know what kept him. Sweet Jane? Or had Thor returned to Asgard, leaving him at the mercy of S.H.I.E.L.D until the end of his miserable life?

But no, the Tesseract was still here. Loki could feel its power radiating... and with that came a very awkward memory...

_If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you. You think you know pain? He will make you will long for something as sweet as pain._

Damn. So perhaps dying from Barton's torture was an agreeable option. But wait. There was- what? Hope? Dazed by pain he let out a bitter bark of laughter as he tried to grasp the fleeting memory of a mortal witch and her promise to get him out of here.

It must have been a dream, a silly illusion, because- and let's be honest, for once- who in a sane state of mind could possibly want to set him free? He was a fool if he relied on such a promise, and besides, the witch had not showed up yet, nor would she ever come.

He blacked out again.

The next time he regained consciousness, Loki was staring into a pair of blue eyes.

So the witch had returned, at least.

"You look like death warmed over," she said quietly.

"Thank you." Loki managed a smirk and couldn't help but notice the irony of her kneeling before him. Not quite like he had imagined it to be. He was not a ruler here but the god of blood and piss and bile- that rather ruined the moment.

She was upset, her eyes turned ice cold with silent rage. He knew that glance, usually he was at the receiving end of it but not today. Her rage was directed at his tormentors, and her rage was remarkable which made her quite attractive.

_Now would be a good time to beg, to appeal to her mercy, put on an innocent look..._

"Please..." he whispered.

"Don't." The witch said as she took his good hand in hers, clandestinely slipping something into his palm and closing his fingers over it. "Just don''t." She produced another bottle of water and made him drink a few sips before she placed in on the floor, easy for him to reach. "I told you I'd come back. I also told you I'll get you out of here, and I'm a woman who stands by her promises. No need to beg, right? I... I just wished I could do more, now. But Fury is not to become suspicious.

"I gave you a Portkey."

"A Portkey?" Loki fingered the small object in his hand. "It feels vaguely like the plastic cap of a water bottle."

"It _is_ the plastic cap of a water bottle, turned into a Portkey, and it will activate at 10:03 PM precisely. Just keep it in your hand; it will take you to a safe place."

ooOoo

Raven was enraged and anxious for the rest of the day. She could not get the image of Loki so badly abused out of her mind, and it bugged her tremendously that there'd been nothing she could have done to ease his pain. Simply because she was not to care about him if she didn't want to arouse suspicion, and S.H.I.E.L.D was an organisation too powerful to mess with.

So she had to fight her urge to grab Loki and Disapparate with him. After all, it wasn't only his fate- or hers- that was on stake if she risked a dangerous game, but also that of everyone else involved. Alice, Rocco, all at WIIA... even Severus. That price was too high to pay for a half-baked, rash deed.

Patience was not her greatest virtue, nevertheless she'd come to accept the necessity of it.

There had been only one thing she'd been able to do for Loki, a simple spell to clean him up, to give him at least that much dignity. She would never understand people who enjoyed to torture and humiliate others in order to compensate for their own frustration.

Her own moral codex was- to put it mildly- flexible. She had never considered herself to be made of the same material as the noble and righteous goody two shoes of this worlds. She would lie and cheat, use tricks and cunning to get her way, but there were lines you simply did not cross. Like kicking the wounded on the ground, betraying friends, or lying to lovers. And torturing a helpless prisoner was absolutely inexcusable.

In order to keep calm and patient, Raven started typing a lengthy, pseudo-scientific report about runes and magic for Fury; she really like to keep to her promises even if they were just for pretence.

When Severus came home from work, they went to have dinner at their favourite Japanese restaurant... it was also part of the plan meticulously though-out by Alice and Rocco to give Raven an alibi. She couldn't eat Sushi with her husband and at the same time prepare to spring Loki from his cage at S.H.I.E.L.D Central in another part of the town. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D didn't know much about magic.

Of course, they would suspect her. They would come to question her... later. And she would feign innocence.

Raven paid with her credit card. The voucher said the transaction was made at 9:54 pm. It was a five minute walk from the restaurant back to where they lived. The concierge would later say they entered the building at 10 o'clock precisely. Then it took about two minutes to get into their private elevator, ride up to the 60th floor and unlock the door.

One minute later, Loki arrived out of thin air, screaming in agony. His hand holding the Portkey was on fire. Nevertheless he managed a somehow gracious landing. He let go off the Portkey and the flames ceased.

"Good evening." Loki cracked a smile at Raven and Severus, then he collapsed on the floor, panting heavily.

"We have to remove the bonds immediately." Raven said alarmed as she noticed the angry red blisters on his hands and neck, and she smelled the sickening stench of burnt flesh.

"Wonderful idea." Loki agreed.

"Can we just take them off or is there anything to consider?" Severus asked matter-of-factly.

"Just try not to use any more magic on me... unless you want to fry me."

"Agreed." With skilful fingers, Severus opened the handcuffs. It was quite easy, actually. He gave the runes engraved in the metal a disgusted glance.

The chains were ratting as Raven worked on the collar, fumbling with a more complicated fastening mechanism. Finally, she succeeded.

Loki heaved a deep sigh of relief. You could almost see the magic flooding back to him, shrouding him in a glittering aura of gold and green, emitting sparks. But it happened too fast; it was too much. It almost consumed him

When limbs go numb, it's all needles and pins afterwards. When magic was turned numb, it was much, much worse. It was like glowing daggers and wildfire raging in your veins, and the air was crackling with unintentional outbreaks of magical energy. Loki was screaming again, feeling like he was being torn apart.

Severus reacted immediately. He aimed his wand at the Asgardian and tried to channel the wild energy by making it explode in a bright beam of light that crashed through the terrace door and fulminated outside.

"Are we redecorating, darling?" Raven commented dryly on the shattered glass that came lashing down in their living room.

ooOoo

Loki rolled on his back and started laughing.

He was already feeling better. Not good enough to come up with another plan for world domination- now, that could wait, and he wasn't even that keen on a throne at the moment... sometimes, it was the small things that mattered, and finally being able to heal sounded so much better than a mad struggle for power.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. May I help you to your room?" The dark haired wizard offered him a helping hand but was patient enough to wait until Loki managed to sit up himself, sorting his legs. He was still very weak. And much too proud to show it.

Meanwhile, the witch was cleaning up. It didn't take her long to repair the broken window. At her command, all the shattered pieces of glass assembled in midair to form a new pane. Loki stopped in his struggle to get to his feet, watching her. Although those mortals needed a wand to perform magic, it was more advanced and powerful than he had expected.

Then the wizard led him down a short corridor and opened a door to his right. Loki was almost surprised by not getting tossed into yet another glass cage, the only form of accommodation ever granted to him since his arrival on earth. Instead, he entered a cosy room with white walls, a wooden floor, and furniture made of dark wood. By the window, overlooking the nightly skyline of the city, stood an armchair of golden brown velvet stood next to a small table, but most inviting was the bed with its clean white sheets.

He couldn't remember when he'd last slept in a bed. Almost tentatively he sat down.

"I know, you will probably heal all by yourself. Eventually." The wizard's voice was calm, dark and pleasant. "But the bones of your hand are so badly broken they should be set."

Loki stared at his right hand, still swollen and hurting; a pathetic lump of flesh and shattered bones. The left one didn't look much better. Burned skin and painful blisters. He heaved a sigh; he had always liked his hands, and although he could feel the magic running through his veins like wildfire, it wasn't yet reliable enough to accomplish such a delicate task.

"Are you a healer?" He asked sceptically.

"I'm versed in the art of healing since I completed the healer training program, but I'm a potion's master. In my lab, I don't have to bother with idiots and their self-inflicted injuries caused by inaccurate spells or asinine jinxes." The wizard conjured up a phials out of thin air; it contained a painkiller as he explained. "It will hurt to set your bones-"

Loki snatched the phial out of the wizard's hand. Pride was tremendously overrated when you're sick and tired of pain, so he emptied it in a single gulp.

"I like sensible people. It's stupid to pretend you don't fear pain, because wise people will always choose to avoid it- By the way, I'm Severus, Raven's husband."

"Loki. Guess you knew that already."

"Just Loki, eh? Not burdened with glorious purpose this time?" Severus arched a dark brow at him, slightly amused but with no intention to mock him.

"I'm on vacation. Too many burdens." He offered Severus a winning smile and hoped the wizard wouldn't make the procedure more painful than necessary because he had tried to conquer his world. But the wizard's hand were gentle, trying not to hurt him even though it did hurt. Waves of pain were running through his fingers with every bone Severus set straight, mostly using his wand to do so.

Loki tried not to wince. "Where I come from, only old, toothless women sit over simmering cauldrons and brew potions that are as ineffective as yours."

Severus paused to glare at him, and Loki noticed that the wizard's eyes were as black as the deepest, darkest ponds he'd ever seen. And yet, they weren't cold. There was some warmth in them- but one that came with a fair warning to not mess with him.

"Are you displeased with my work?"

"No." Loki said quickly. "Just trying to make conversation."

"Good. Because if my potion were as ineffective as you claim, you wouldn't be able to try and make conversation."

"You're not really good with patients, are you?"

"That's why I'm a potioneer, remember? And before you mock me for my poor choice of career, may I mention that your hand doesn't look like that of a fierce warrior to me? Of course, it's hardly recognizable as a hand at the moment, but after it has healed it will be as slender as my own. Am I right?" Severus didn't wait for his response but continued. "Where you come from, you're an outsider, a misfit. You're too smug for your own good, and yet you seem to be rather intelligent. Given the choice, you'd rather spend your time in the library, seeking knowledge, instead of wasting time on the battleground. Unfortunately, you tend to make the wrong decisions-"

"You think you've figured me out?"

"Indeed. Because I wasn't much different when I was younger. I was the nerd, the loner, always striving for recognition and just one step away from doing something incredibly stupid."

"What happened then?" Loki wasn't really interested in hearing his story, but anything distracting him from the pain of setting bones was welcome.

"Raven."

_Oh please not a sentimental love story now._

But the wizard's eyes weren't welling over with emotions, they remained focussed on the task. "She changed my life for the better, and apparently, she sees something in you that's worth saving, too. You may mock her sentiments and even call them pathetic, but don't be a fool and scoff at what she has to offer."

Loki glanced at him expectantly, waiting for a warning or a threat to come. _Something like, if you harm my wife I'll kill you. _But none of that ever came. Severus had said what he wanted to say.

"You don't agree with her, though?" He didn't really care how Severus considered him and yet it would be nice to know he had not made another enemy.

"My opinion of you is irrelevant. I trust in my wife's judgement because working in criminal investigation for the last thirty years gave her a great knowledge of the human nature. You can't fool her so don't even try."

"I'll keep that in mind." Loki promised, and he actually meant it. At the moment, he simply couldn't _afford_ to make any more enemies, so it was about time to make some allies... preferably friendlier allies than the Chitauri...

ooOoo

"Sev, are you done here?" Raven appeared at the door of the guest room, glancing at the two men. Both were tall and slender, dark-haired and pale. They looked more like brothers than Loki and Thor.

The Asgardian was lying on the bed, propped up by some pillows in his back. He seemed to be exhausted, pearls of perspiration were running down his forehead, but he still managed to smile at her. The broken hand was resting on his chest; it already looked so much better.

"Almost." Severus replied as he applied a burn-healing salve on Loki's wrists and on his left hand.

"We're already becoming friends." Loki said with a grin, to which Severus rolled his eyes as he glanced at Raven.

She chuckled and entered the room, carrying a tray that she placed on the bedside table. On it was a pitcher with water, a glass and a bowl of steaming hot broth that smelled deliciously of beef and fresh spices. Loki raised his head and sniffed; his stomach was grumbling audibly.

"You must be starving. I guess S.H.I.E.L.D failed to provide you with decent food?" The hungry expression on his face told Raven that he might not have eaten for longer than his stay at S.H.I.E.L.D Central. "Well, try to eat slowly. Can you handle it on your own?"

Loki lifted his left hand and stared at it, flexing his fingers. It was still a bit red but more like from sunburn and not as if it had been on flames. The blisters were all gone.

"Good." Raven gave a satisfied nod. He was really healing fast but she also had to give some credit to Severus' burn-healing salve. He would be okay. "We'll leave you now. Stay in your room and please remain quiet. We're expecting visitors from S.H.I.E.L.D."

Loki's eyes widened. She could still see the horrors of last night in them, the steel-capped boot crushing the bones of his hand... Raven wasn't a vengeful person but she couldn't guarantee for Barton's safety should he dare to show up here.

"Don't worry. You're safe here." Raven promised him before she left the room with Severus, closing the door behind her.

They went to their living room where Raven had already set the scene. The pillows on the sofa were in a comfortable disarray, on the table stood a half-full bottle of red wine and filled two glasses. Candles were burning and the TV was on. It looked as if a happily married couple was enjoying a homey evening together. Nothing reminded of Loki's arrival here. The collar and the handcuffs were hidden in her study, the window pane was repaired, and the floor was thoroughly cleaned of blood.

"Well done." Severus nodded approvingly before he sat down on the sofa, drinking a sip of wine.

"Well, I know how crime scenes look like; I can easily arrange the opposite." She smiled and clinked glasses with him. "So... you and Loki are becoming friends?"

Severus let out an exasperated groan and downed his wine. "That guy is impossible. He's an insufferable nag, the pain of my existence... but it's hard to not like him when he gives you that smile of innocence mingled with mischief. He's damn good at manipulating people." He ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at his wife. "Although I know you can handle him, the idea of leaving for Kathmandu tomorrow evening doesn't sit well with me." He took her hands in his. "But I have faith in you, and I know he needs your help even if he himself is still unaware of this. Just promise me to be cautious."

"I will be. You know me." Raven leaned in closed and kissed him, and for a few moments they both forgot about the world around them. Until the doorbell was ringing.

Raven broke the kiss and glanced at her watch. It was one minute past eleven. S.H.I.E.L.D had needed less than an hour to come to her place.

She exchanged glances with Severus, then she rose to open the door.

"Who's there?" She asked. The shuffling of feet outside told her that there were at least three people, and they were already right in front of her door, which meant they must have managed to convince the concierge to let them take the elevator without informing her.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Please open the door ma'am."

Raven recognized Fury's voice. _Should I take it as an honour that he'd come himself?_ She wondered briefly before she opened the door, feigning surprise at seeing him.

"Director Fury! To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit? You must admit, it's quite late in the day-"

"Loki escaped!" Fury cut her off.

He really was not a man who wasted time with pleasantries. Instead, he brushed past her and entered the penthouse without having been invited. Behind him, two agents were waiting for his orders.

"Oh my god!" Raven clutched a hand to her chest. "But how... how could this happen? I thought he was secure where he was."

Meanwhile, Severus had risen from the sofa and approached her, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder.

"Is everything alright, love?"

"No. Not at all. Please meet Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury, my husband Severus Snape." She introduced them before she continued, addressing Severus. "A very distressing thing happened. Apparently, that war criminal, Loki- responsible for the horrible attack on New York- managed to escape the clutches of S.H.I.E.L.D and now these friendly agents have come here to warn me..." With the most innocent expression she could muster, Raven glanced at Fury. "I really appreciate you're worried about my safety."

His eye turned to stare at her and it was clear to see he wasn't amused. Most certainly he did not worry.

"Oh dear!" Severus exclaimed, feigning concern. "I hope my wife is not in danger?"

"Where is Loki?" Fury asked.

"Do you want me to come and help collecting evidence about his disappearance?" Raven offered sincerely.

"That won't be necessary." Fury's upper lip curled into a sneer- it was obvious he didn't think much of Raven's skills. He glanced around the living room one more time but couldn't find anything suspicious. Then he took his leave. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"No, thank you, Director Fury, for coming to warn me. I hope you'll find him soon."

"Don't worry about that."

Raven turned to Severus. "Isn't it good to know organisations as big and powerful as S.H.I.E.L.D are there to protect us? Oh- by the way, Director Fury! Since you're here anyway would you like me to give you my report now, or shall I bring it tomorrow?"

"Your report?" He stopped at the door.

"Yes." She smiled at him. "About the runes and the magic."

"For all I care, give it to me." Fury heaved an exasperated sigh that made it obvious he'd probably use her report as toilet paper because the witch had not been of any use so far.

"Just a moment." Raven hurried to the big dining table at the other end of the room and collected a pile of sheets. Fury followed her a few steps into the room, stopped, and glanced around once more. Ever so slightly he shook his head.

He took the report from her hands and left without saying goodbye or closing the door behind him.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone. Severus made an attempt to speak but she silenced him with a finger on her lips. _Not yet_, her eyes said as she produced her wand to check the area to see if Fury had used the intrusion for bugging their home and was almost disappointed to find none. That guy had really no great opinion of her, probably thinking her a harmless little witch with a hippie-like peace and love attitude who'd give even the most dangerous prisoner a bottle of water.

She chuckled at that.

"My, my," Severus said finally, after she'd indicated it was save to have a conversation, "even after all these years my wife will never cease to surprise me. Mind, I never underestimated you, but I didn't know either what a very talented liar and actress you are."

"You were very good, too, darling. _Oh dear, I hope my wife is not in danger_..."

"I was just playing along. For a moment, I thought you almost over-egged the pudding with all your talking about big and powerful S.H.I.E.L.D, but then you topped it all with your report, stalling his leave, letting him follow you inside once more. No one who has something to hide would have done that."

Raven retrieved her glass of wine, downed its content in a single, greedy gulp and refilled it. Then she lit a cigarette.

"That's why I did it. I know how the guilty suspects react; I studied their behaviour for a long time now." She raked her fingers through her hair. "It was exhausting. I never want to have to do that again."

Severus sat down next to her on the sofa and took her hands in his. "I sincerely hope Loki is really worth all your effort."

"So do I." Raven said as she leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying his proximity for a moment before she got up again. "You know I would have preferred our last evening before you leave for Kathmandu to be different, but I have to go and check back on our dear guest."

Severus rose as well. He cupped her face in his palms and kissed her. "You're an incredible woman. Please come to bed soon, will you?"

Actually, it was hard to resist the urge to follow him upstairs to their bedroom, but Raven knew she would enjoy the fun only half as much if she didn't check on Loki first. So she smiled at her husband and said, "Don't fall asleep."

He flashed her a smirk. "I won't."

While he walked up the staircase, she went down the corridor to the guest room, knocking before she entered. Loki didn't stir. He'd fallen asleep, looking all young and innocent.

Raven turned off the light at his bedside table, noticed that he must have eaten the broth since the bowl was empty, so she removed it. Then, she followed her husband.

ooOoo

Sleep didn't come untroubled that night. Raven was dreaming strange things she couldn't even remember when she woke up, sweating and panting, not knowing what had startled her so.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was housing a mad mass-murder and war criminal. But then she recalled Loki's face and failed to see him as that.

And yet, something was amiss.

With a sigh, she left her husband's warm embrace and got up. It was colder than it should be, as if a cool breeze was blowing in from the terrace doors... but they were closed when they went to bed, and she had repaired the broken pane.

Curiosity got the better of her. Raven took her wand and tiptoed to the landing of the staircase leading down to the living room, looking down. Immediately she noticed that the doors to the terrace were standing wide open. Frowning, she walked downstairs in order to check on that.

It didn't take her long to notice that Loki was up and outside, standing much too close to the edge of the terrace and, to make things worse, at a place where no windshield barrier was to keep him from falling.

_Damn! Was he suicidal?_

Cautiously, she approached him, trying not to startle him. After all, they were at the 60th floor of a building that was some eight-hundred-something feet tall, and she didn't know if a damaged demigod would survive crashing down onto the asphalt of the busy street below.

Loki didn't seem to take any notice of her, even when she started talking to him. He simply kept on staring into the abyss before he finally gingerly, took a step forwards-

Just in time, Raven reached out, got hold of his arm and pulled him back, hurling him around.

"Are you totally nuts?" She yelled at him. "Do you think I saved you from bloody S.H.I.E.L.D only that you can kill yourself afterwards? Goddammit that's a fucking stupid plan!"

All of a sudden, he started panting and his eyes widened. Their colour changed from an unnatural bluish glow back to green as he glanced down and then at her.

"You... " his voice sounded strange, as if it was coming from very far away. _From a distant memory? _"You will not let me fall... "

"Now that would be fucking counter-productive given the effort I put in saving you from S.H.I.E.L.D-"

"He tossed me into the abyss."

His eyes were still wide, almost projecting a scene similar to this one, only that he was dangling at the end of a... stick... and beneath his feet were not the nightly streets of Manhattan with all its neon lights and cars, but an abyss made of maelstroms of unknown energy and multicoloured nebula.

_'No, Loki.'_

_There was still hope in his eyes as he glanced up to the mighty Allfather who was holding him, him and Thor._

_'I could have done it, father. I could have done it. For you. For all of us .'_

_'No, Loki.'_

No one had really tossed him into that abyss- he had willingly let go- but when Raven saw the flicker of hope dying in his eyes, she understood that words could be like daggers, stabbing your heart. Rejection is like a slap in the face, she knew that. It can crash you, destroy you- make you let go. Make you fall...

Loki narrowed his eyes at her, threateningly, realizing she had somehow managed to pry into his mind.

"Do you like what you see, little witch? Does it satisfy you?" He lashed out. "Keep out of my mind!"

"Well, keep your mind occluded and don't projected your memory into the sky for all to see." Raven said unfazed as she placed a soothing hand on his arm. "And no, I don't feel satisfied. Tell me more about it, Loki. What happened then?"

"I fell." He frowned at her. _I fell but I didn't die_- no one had ever wanted to hear more. Not Thor when he'd grabbed him by the throat and hurled him out of that plane, crashing him onto some rock in the middle of nowhere, demanding the whereabouts of the Tesseract...

Her eyes, almost as blue as Thor's but different, never leaving his face, were showing honest concern.

He took a moment to glance at her as if seeing her for the first time, still frowning.

"You're not that unattractive," he noticed.

"Oh thank you. And you still look like death warmed over." This was about the weirdest conversation one could have with a mad stranger in the middle of the night, especially when you're barefoot and only wearing a thin, silken nightie. Raven tightened the grip around her wand.

"Are we done with flattery now?" Loki flashed her a wide grin.

"For now- just what the hell were you doing here? "

He cast a fleeting glance at the edge and shuddered, moving a few steps closer to the middle if the terrace. "I... I don't know. "

"Your eyes had an eerie blueish glow."

"What?" He asked, sounding totally aghast. It was obvious he knew more than he wanted to tell her.

"Damn, what happened that damaged you so? Thor said you disappeared-"

"You spoke to Thor? What did the big oaf have to say?"

"Um... actually I didn't listen-" Loki's amused laughter cut her off. Raven smiled at him and continued. "I didn't care for his opinion; I prefer to make up my own mind, and for that I needed memories."

"Ooh, you like that, don't you? Snooping around in the mind of others."

"Well, if it's supportive... you know, I don't spring prisoners from jail very often and most certainly not without gathering all information possible first."

"Why?" He nibbled at his lip and shook his head.

"You mean why did I help you? You were in need of help." Raven stated simply. "Now tell me what happened to you after you fell. Where did you go?"

"The Void." Loki mumbled as he turned around, hiding his face, his eyes from her.

"The... _Void_? Um... care to elaborate on that?"

"Do you want to know about the void? Do you? You want to know how it eats you up and churns you out?" He didn't wait for her reply but continued. First, he sounded upset and full of rage, but that ceased a little later. Then, he merely sounded desperate and broken. "I fell- for how long I cannot tell because time doesn't matter in the void. Hours, years... millennia may pass and it's all the same. Nothing ever changes. You fall, you scream, but no one will ever hear you. There's only silence and loneliness and darkness. You hear your own heartbeat thundering in your ears, pounding louder and louder, deafeningly, until you want to rip out your heart with your own hands, and your fingers are bleeding from trying, but you fail, and the absence of sound is maddening. Worse, so much worse, though, is the loneliness. You're alone with your own monsters, monsters you created and they're gloating, mocking you when you start to fear yourself and the monsters lurking in you. You long for light and suddenly there is, but it burns out your eyes because it's so blinding, and then you fall further into darkness until your eyes are restored and you experience the same over and over again. Your throat is raw from screaming and you long for a balm... a glass of water is your greatest desire, except from death, but the void does not allow you to die, it keeps you alive long after hunger ate your intestines, and the cold of the void froze your heart while at the same time you feel the excruciating pain of heat burning your skin, burning the flesh off your bones... and there is just no end to it. Nothing will ever stop your pain.

"When the Chitauri finally found me, I... I so craved for any form of contact, for any voice talking to me even if it was only insults and mockery. I was the rightful king of Asgard, cast out and stranded in a faraway dimension, abandoned and left to their mercy. They... the Chitauri... aren't a friendly species. But I won't bore you with details about my captivity." Loki let his eyes sweep around, looking for Raven, and found her standing much closer to him than expected. "So yes, I made a deal with them. They were trapped in the dead space between dimensions, they needed the Tesseract to return to worlds of light and life."

_If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you, You think you know pain? You will long for something as sweet as pain..._

Loki shuddered when he thought of the deal he had not fulfilled.

"He gave me a tool, the sceptre."

Raven remembered that from S.H.I.E.L.D footage and immediately drew a conclusion. "But in fact you were the tool. Well, that explains a lot."

He arched a quizzical brow at her. "Oh, does it?"

There was still a lot Raven didn't understand but that could wait; she didn't want to push her luck too far, and she knew from many interrogations that there always came a point when the interviewed person would stop talking. So she simply placed a hand on his arm.

Loki flinched. He didn't want her pity and was about to shake off her hand or say something insulting, but then refrained from spoiling things, because he actually liked the warmth she radiated. Amused, he shook his head. Her touch rendered him helpless and for once he wasn't being criticised and moralized for his actions, for his choices...

"Hey," she said in a soft, caring tone, "you had a fucking bad time, you've been through hell and back. Take a rest, Loki. Get grounded again. Heal..."

Tentatively he was flexing the fingers of his broken hand but that was not what she meant.

Raven shook her head. There was more that had to heal than just some fractured bones. He was still badly damaged. Broken but not shattered. At least he'd stopped running, wreaking havoc... now he had to try to catch his breath again and think of a way back. It was not too late.

That moment, the sun was rising. A reddish glow at the eastern horizon had already indicated that event but now the bright orange orb emerged at the sky, slowly climbing higher. Loki turned around to stare at it. After a while, when the light became blinding, he closed his eyes and basked in the feeling of sunshine on his face.

"I'll get us a coffee." Raven decided, granting him a few moments of privacy...

* * *

_thanks for reading. Did you like it? Hate it? Any opinion? I would like to hear from you, so please review. _


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all who reviewed or favoured this story. Feedback is always appreciated.

Chapter 4

Raven loved her automatic coffee machine, the smell of freshly ground beans, the sound it made when coffee sputtered into the cup. She chose a caffè latte that was mostly milk for Loki (he didn't really need a caffeine shot) and a double espresso for herself. After having handed him the glass, she returned to the kitchen in order to prepare breakfast for her husband.

Severus was up early today; he had already showered and dressed when he joined her in the kitchen. Apparently he was not in a good mood because he frowned at her, disapproval in his eyes.

"I do understand you want to help him. But does that necessarily include you leaving our bed in the middle of the night and presenting yourself to him half-naked?" Severus pointed out of the window at Loki who was still sitting on the terrace.

"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to change clothes before I prevented him from falling down some eight-hundred feet." Raven said in a slightly snappish tone.

Severus arched a brow at her. "Why would he do that?"

"Apparently, he has a history with falling into abysses." She shrugged. "I don't know, Sev. It's not as if he would trust me and pour out his heart to me- I guess that's expecting too much. He opened up a little bit, though. I suspect there's something more to his attempting to throw himself off a high rise than just suicidal tendencies or sleepwalking, but he won't tell me- not yet- and it wouldn't be wise to use pressure on him."

"I don't like that. I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with him while I'm a thousand miles away in Kathmandu-"

"And you will not cancel your trip. Sev, a potioneers conference like that is only held every... how many years? Fifty? You will go, and you will leave it to me to worry about Loki. I can handle him."

"He's been here less than twelve hours and already we're arguing over him."

"I didn't start it, Sev. We agreed to help him, and I won't throw him out now just because you have a little fit of jealousy."

"It's not that. It's about you finding him at the edge of our terrace and suspecting there's something more to it he won't tell you. What if he's possessed?"

Raven recalled the strange blue glow of his eyes, his apparent disorientation when she'd pulled him back. "Yeah, something like that is likely. I will find out. Do you want to have breakfast now?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Please do me the favour and contact Alice and debrief her."

"That, I will do." She needed more information anyway- for instance, what that Tessa-thing was Loki had mentioned.

ooOoo

He tried to remember the last time he'd seen the sun rise. It must have been the day of Thor's coronation when everyone in Asgard was so excited about the upcoming event and Loki... well, it was more like _restlessness_ that had woken him early that day. Then, he hadn't cared for the beauty of it, hadn't revelled in the feeling of warmth on his face...

Now he enjoyed it, and he shook his head at the irony of it, given his frost giant parentage. Perhaps Laufey had been right to abandon him because he didn't even like cold.

Loki had just taken a seat in one of these outdoor armchairs when the witch returned, wordlessly placing a glass with a warm drink in his hands. Then she walked away again.

He frowned, still not quite knowing what to think of her. She seemed to be all kind and caring- but he had seen the rage in her eyes and suspected she wasn't really as soft as she appeared. And she had that uncanny aptness for snooping around the mind of others, him included.

It would be hard to make new plans if he couldn't find a way to keep her out of his mind. But that could wait. He was still much too tired and exhausted from the Void, the Chitauri and the hospitality of S.H.I.E.L.D to be back in the business.

First things first. Loki took a sip of his drink and found it agreeable. Too much milk, perhaps. After all, he wasn't an abandoned kitten she could hope to adopt with her stupid compassion. He'd already been adopted once too often...

Anger was rising up within him as he recalled how he'd found out about his true parentage, the inscrutable, non-existent expression on Odin's face. But for once, his rage was not getting the better of him. At the moment, he only felt.. nothing. A strange emptiness. He had no plan, no purpose, no place to go. His hands were still hurting. And yet something had changed- right after he'd almost made falling into an abyss a habit of his. The pressure was gone. All the time, ever since his arrival on earth, there had been an enormous pressure in his head, which had now ceased- he knew not why.

_What did the Other do to me? _Loki wondered, trying to remember exactly what had transpired from the moment the Chitauri found him until his arrival at that S.H.I.E.L.D base. He knew the Other had given him the sceptre... there were fragments of fleeting memories whirling around in his mind, too blurred, too vague to make sense. Disappearing too fast to grasp them.

It definitely was not helpful that the witch returned- again- asking him if he'd like to have breakfast. He'd almost managed to recall something, but that something had burst like a soap-bubble thanks to her untimely interruption. Loki turned his head to glare at her, about to lash out. Then he changed his mind. He was hungry. Very hungry.

"Breakfast sounds agreeable," he replied politely.

"Do you like anything in particular?" The witch asked.

Loki shook his head, feigning a meek smile. "Whatever you have.."

In the end, he ate a large bowl of yoghurt and fresh strawberries, savouring every spoon of sweet ripe fruits in combination with the slightly sour component of the yoghurt, only mildly sweetened with maple syrup. Then he had some more of the broth the witch had left on his bedside table last night, but now it also contained meat and vegetables that weren't overcooked. It was delicious.

After that he retreated to his room. The bed with its clean white sheets and pillows still looked alluring to him, but before he would allow himself the restoring properties of sleep, he felt the urge to clean himself.

There was a door that led to his private bathroom; the wizard had told him yesterday. Loki opened the door and glanced around; immediately understanding the concept of all the different constructions. _Nice_, he decided, and he had to admit that Midgardian sanitary facilities were decidedly more advanced than in Asgard- well, it wasn't really _that_ hard to top a basin of cold water.

Here, the water just came pouring down on him like a summer shower but with adjustable temperature. He enjoyed it, wishing he could not only wash away the grime but also the memories that came with it.

After he was done in the bathroom, he slid under the covers of the bed, naked as he was, and was fast asleep only a moment later.

It was hard to tell when Loki woke, because his mind was alert long before he finally opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was sunshine pouring in through the window. A smile curled up his lips. Sunshine meant no glass cage and white lights, casting no shadows. Soft sheets covered his body, the fabric not quite as exquisite as he was used to from his life as a prince of Asgard, but it was agreeable. He stretched his long limbs, feeling refreshed.

Then he glanced at the small clock sitting at his bedside table; it said 12:30. Almost lunchtime. He was hungry again.

Sitting up in bed, he decided that his usual black and green leather attire was perhaps a bit out of place in this environment. He wanted to look a little more... _adapted-_ which also ruled out the elegant suit he wore for the premier in Germany, his favourite outfit when he had dealings with mortals; it simply would look too overdressed. So he opted for a more casual dress style, but he didn't have much reference except for the wizard... oh, and Stark.

Loki glanced at his reflection in the mirror and smirked. He was wearing jeans that looked casual although they were probably very expensive, in combination with a plain, black shirt. It gave him a totally unobtrusive appearance.

Now, he was back in the game.

A little later he left his room and walked down the corridor to the living room. The witch was busying herself in the kitchen, only separated from the rest of the room by a counter with some barstools sitting by it. Atop the counter stood a large bowl of fresh fruits, looking absolutely mouth-watering.

"Oh," the witch turned around and smiled at him, "you're finally up."

"A very astute observation. Had I known that such prestigious intellect actually existed it this realm-" Loki fell silent when his nose detected some very delicate aromas coming from the stove, and you just don't bite the hand that feeds you.

"You're feeling better, eh? Well, you definitely look much better." She arched a brow a brow at his new attire. "Nice clothes. I assume your magic is fully restored?"

He merely smirked at that.

"Are you hungry?" When he didn't reply, she continued. "You slept for almost thirty hours, you must be hungry. Help yourself to the fruits if you like."

_Thirty hours? Well, I must have been really exhausted... _He accepted her offer and reached for a peach, savouring the juicy sweetness of it.

"So what's for lunch?"

"Spaghetti vongole." She poured a generous dose of white wine into the frying pan before she explained, "spaghetti with clam shells. I don't know what you Asgardians like to eat, and since you were sleeping I couldn't ask you, so you will have to put up with what I like."

"It smells good." Loki admitted. "In Asgard, they like to devour great amounts of roasted meat- whole wild boars and pheasants. I... I was always a bit different. You don't have to roast a whole boar for me."

"Oh, now that's good," she quipped, smiling at him. "Could be a difficult to find a wild boar in New York City."

His lips twitched slightly. Although he had been raised as a prince of Asgard and therefore should be skilled at courteous small talk, it almost felt a bit strange now to have a normal conversation- he wasn't used to it anymore, after all the time in the void and the Chitauri and being muzzled. His little chat with Romanoff didn't count, that was all manipulation...

Sometime later, the witch placed down a plate in front of Loki. The food looked and smelled delicious. Clam shells in a sauce made of white wine, tomatoes, basil leaves and garlic. Well, and spaghetti; he wasn't familiar with food that came in the form of long white strings. Clandestinely, he watched how she handled them before he followed her example. Very soon he became a big fan of spaghetti.

ooOoo

Raven noticed the expression of bliss on his face- it made him look incredibly young. She smiled.

"I knew you'd like it. Everybody likes spaghetti. I think it's soul food- it gives you that warm feeling of comfort-"

Loki nibbled at his lips. "After all I've done you give me food and shelter?"

"No, because of what you've been through." Raven took the empty plates and carried them to the sink. "Espresso?"

Without waiting for his reply she made two espressos before she encouraged him to join her on the terrace. It was another warm and sunny day, and he still looked deathly pale. At least the dark shadows around his eyes were gone.

There were still a lot of questions she needed answers to, but she didn't want to push him; he would merely clam up. Besides, she got the feeling he'd been pushed too much already, and she wanted him to catch his breath again, relax, get grounded.

So she did most of the talking and actually managed to amuse him with her report of visiting the Union Square Greenmarket yesterday, followed by two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D- totally unobtrusive in their dark suits and sunglasses- and how she'd driven them almost mad by the way she had walked from stall to stall, comparing quality and prices.

"So S.H.I.E.L.D is still suspicious of you?" Loki asked after a while, nipping at his espresso.

"It's S.H.I.E.L.D we're talking about. It's their job to be suspicious. I knew Fury would spy on me, even if he considers me a harmless freak. However, spying is in his nature. But don't worry, you're safe here. We've got something that even Fury doesn't know about."

Loki arched a quizzical brow at her.

"Muggle-Repelling Charms." Raven answered with a smirk.

"Muggle?"

"Our term for all our non-magical fellow citizens."

"Tell me more about the magic of Midgard."

So Raven told him a couple of things, about wizarding schools and communities, the parallel society that existed next to the Muggle world, undiscovered most of the time.

Loki shook his head. "With all the powers you sorcerers of Midgard have, why don't you rule the other mortals? You seem to be lurking in the shadows-"

"Every now and then, a wizard comes up with the very same question and ends up striving for world domination, thinking the wizarding kind superior to Muggles. But we're not. Muggle technology is developing faster than most of us can grasp, and they majority of the wizarding race is happy with living the traditional way, untroubled by Muggles. They busy themselves with funny little household spells and prefer to communicate by sticking their heads into a dusty fireplace.

"The last Dark wizard who sought to subjugate this world lost his final battle back in 1998, although he was first defeated in 1981. I helped defeat him. I once looked into the face of pure evil, so full of malice he was far beyond redemption, and I laughed into his face and told him I was his worst nightmare, because I believed in love and friendship- mere sentiments in his eyes- but in the end much stronger than he'd ever expected. I defied him because of Severus. Because he'd been so foolish to believe in the Dark Lord's lies and almost made the wrong choice of joining his fraternity of Death Eaters. He was dangling at the edge but I pulled him back with reason and conviction."

For a long time, Loki didn't say anything, mulling her words. Then he asked, incredulously. "Your world in the balance and you defied this Dark Lord for... _what?_ To save the man you love?"

"I never claimed to be a heroine. Sometimes, saving just one soul can change the result of a whole war. It did, then."

"Where's your dear husband anyway?"

"Kathmandu." Raven replied. "World's largest potioneers conference, held only every fifty years."

"And he left you all alone... with me."

"He trusts in my knowledge of the human nature."

"You're foolish enough to trust me." Loki said smoothly, only a hint of threat in his voice.

"Oh no, I don't." She reached out to pat his hand, now fully healed. "You know, Loki, this is not about trust. It's about giving you a chance."

He frowned at her, so she tried to elaborate on that.

"You're so damned close to the edge. You're damaged, broken-"

"You think you've figured me out, witch? You're wrong. You know nothing about me!"

"I'm just trying to find out more about you," Raven replied calmly, unimpressed by his anger. "There's so much I still want to know about that Tessa-thing, about the sceptre, about the Chitauri- what happened before the Void. I want to know more about Asgard, your life there before it all got out of control. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to justify your deeds. I'm just trying to understand... and I haven't yet made up my mind just how much you are to be held responsibly for your actions. Clearly, you're not the totally innocent guy who's been wronged terribly- although I wouldn't rule out you've been wronged, either. I have to admit, I'm a very inquisitive person, but I won't push you."

"But you won't let go either." Loki concluded, offering her a disarming smile.

Raven smiled back at him. "Take your time."

"Speaking of time- isn't it time for dinner?"

"You're deflecting." She rolled her eyes at his smug smile, but he was still alarmingly thin beneath his glamour, and she wondered when he'd eaten last. Certainly not while being held captive and muzzled at S.H.I.E.L.D, and she mightily doubted the Chitauri had been more hospitable.

"I'm hungry. Just because I can survive without food for a long time doesn't mean I don't enjoy it."

"Well then, I marinated some lamb chops yesterday. We can put them on the charcoal grill and have a Greek salad along with them."

Her suggestion seemed to please him so Raven got up and went to the kitchen in order to prepare the salad, hoping that she could bait him with a good meal to tell her more. She didn't want to manipulate him with his appetite... well, but it couldn't harm to try either.

When she returned to the terrace, she was surprised to see he had already lit the charcoal. Most likely he had done it from where he was sitting, using magic.

"Thank you," Raven said and smiled as she placed a large bowl with salad on the table. Immediately, he moved closer to take a look at it. Apparently he liked what he saw.

Loki seemed to have a favour for anything that was not a roasted wild boar; he relished fresh things and he ate with great indulgence, savouring each bite in an almost elegant way. For someone who enjoyed cooking and took pride in her skills, it was a pleasure to watch him because it praised her work more than any verbal flattery.

Raven didn't want to disrupt the pleasant atmosphere by bothering him with questions- _that could wait, give him time_- so she merely made some small talk. He surprised her, though, when he revealed some trivia about his life in Asgard, making it obvious that he had always been an outsider there.

_Our parents kept the truth from him because they didn't want him to feel any different._

Well, but he **was **different, in every possible aspect. Loki wasn't the strong, fierce warrior which was the manly norm there. He liked magic and cunning, preferred to use his sharp intellect instead of his muscles, would rather spend his time in the library than on a battlefield. He liked a good glass of wine instead of getting drunk on mead, and he liked to eat fruits and vegetables when all the others would devour great amounts of meat. He was different.

"Have you never wondered about that? I mean, before you found out you were adopted?" Raven couldn't help but ask incredulously.

They had finished eating but were still sitting outside, enjoying a bottle of Rioja Gran Reserva.

His eyes narrowed. "Who told you? Was it Thor? What else did he tell you? Did he tell you about my true parentage?"

She was a bit surprised about the sudden anger in his voice, how it seemed to increase with every question- but beneath all that anger, there was also a hidden trace of tremendous hurt and despair.

"He merely told me you're adopted and that your parents lied to you until about a year ago. I must admit that's crass."

"Oh, do you? Do you have any idea what's it like to not only find out you've been lied to for all of your life but also that you're actually the offspring of monsters parents tell their children about at night?"

"What?"

"Look at me!"

Raven did- actually, she had never taken her eyes off him ever since that anger had piqued up in his voice. But he didn't want her to just look at him. He wanted to show her something, a memory.

_Loki picked up a casket, ornamented metal and runes containing a shining, bluish light. Suddenly, the colour of his skin began to change, starting from his hands, crawling up his arms, his body, to his face, turning it blue. His eyes were glowing red like the charcoals..._

"What do you see now?" His voice seemed to come from very far away since Raven seemed to be still standing in the vault of his memories, watching him.

"Um... deleted scene from Avatar?"

_'Stop!' A voice of authority shouted at Loki and he turned around, turning from blue skin back to his normal skin colour as he asked, 'Am I cursed?'_

"What?" Loki asked perplexed.

Raven didn't reply. She was still in that scene in his mind, staring up a staircase to where Odin Allfather was standing in all his imposing glory, glancing down at his son. It was like a film reel winding on without anyone being able to stop it. She realized that Loki tried to, and she really didn't want to pry about in his mind, but the scene just kept on playing...

_'What more than that?' There was a sharp edge in Loki's voice now as he approached the Allfather. 'The casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?'_

_'No.' Odin admitted, and then he told Loki that in the aftermath of the battle he went into a temple where he found a baby, small for a giant offspring, abandoned, suffering, left to die._

_'Why?' Loki asked, totally stunned. 'You were knee-deep in Jotun blood- why would you take me?'_

_And he seemed to realize immediately that Odin was still lying to him when he said, 'You were an innocent child.' He__** knew**__ that Odin took him for a purpose._

_'TELL ME!' He screamed with so much anger and desperation in his voice..._

...The memory was so full of emotions Raven almost felt the same pain, anger and desperation. It was as if she'd been sucked right into Loki's mind, sharing the same emotions. And still, there was no way to stop it, no way to cast a projection of that scene and watch it from a safe distance as a neutral observer.

It didn't matter what Odin's plans for Loki where. The revelation shattered him within seconds; the realisation of being lied to for an eternity hit him hard, destroyed any ideas of trust.

_'What?' He breathed, barely audible, panting, trying to regain some countenance. 'So I'm not more than another stolen relict, locked up here until you might have use of me?'_

_Raven knew he wasn't twisting Odin's words and she didn't believe him that he only wanted to protect Loki from the truth_

_'Why? Because I... I... I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?'_

Finally, the memory ended and Raven felt like she was being spit out of Loki's mind, landing hard on her back...

Loki had grabbed her by the throat and hurled her across the terrace.

"Ouch!" She gasped, getting up slowly. He was standing some feet away, nibbling at his lip, looking slightly ashamed. "What the fuck- damn, I didn't start this; it wasn't my intention to pry about and intrude into something as private as-"

"SHUT UP!" Loki appeared as if he wanted to run away, very far away, but was being constrained by the borders of the terrace. He was panting; his magic seemed to explode in an outburst of golden-green sparks, veiling him in a strange aura of light and energy.

If she approached him now, he would probably kill her.

"Loki, I didn't want to see that. I was not mind-raping you. The scene was winding on and I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry. I have no idea what happened. You asked me to look at you; you wanted to show me something- your Jotun form, I assume. You wanted to prove me you're a monster- but you're not. No one is born to be a monster; it's not in your blood or in your parentage. It's a decision; it's about the choices you make."

"Do you **ever** stop babbling?" Now he was shaking like a leaf, looking all haunted and breathless.

"Rarely." Raven offered him a smirk. "You'll have to hurl me across the terrace more often to achieve that."

"I..." He turned his back on her.

That was as much of an apology as she would ever get; he was much too proud to admit that it wasn't very gentlemanly to hurl his nice and caring hostess across the terrace. But it was the little things that gave him away, like the slumping of his shoulders. The revelation of his true parentage had broken him, had turned him from an Asgardian prince into the monster parents tell their children about at night, and now he tried his best to live up to the expectations._ Idiot! _

Raven heaved a sigh. "I need a cigarette break."

She crossed the terrace, heading for the door. Before she entered the living room, she turned around to glance at him.

"Can I trust you to stay away from the edge and not doing anything stupid, like running away?"

"Ooh, am I your prisoner now?" Loki asked in a mocking tone, challenging her from a safe distance. "What will you do to keep me here?"

"Keep you? You're not my prisoner, Loki. If you want to leave- there's the door. But it would be downright stupid of you to leave with S.H.I.E.L.D still searching for you. They found you via face trace before and they will find you again. So, unless you yearn to be back with them and your best friend, Agent Barton, I'd recommend you to stay here and keep a low profile. But it's all up to you." Without giving Loki a chance to reply, Raven went indoors offering him a moment to calm down and catch his breath again.

The moment she entered the kitchen, tears were streaming down her face. The memory was still too vivid in her mind. Could there possibly be a worse way to find out you're not what you were made believe to be, realizing you've been lied to for thousand years?

She lit a cigarette, trying to catch her own breath again. Although she wasn't generally of a cruel or violent nature, she nevertheless longed to use the Cruciatus Curse on Odin, no matter if he was a god or a demigod or simply a cold-hearted bastard.

Raven hoped that having to relive this traumatic memory all over again had not triggered something in Loki, setting him off on a rampage. She glanced through the kitchen window and was relieved to see him still standing on the terrace, apparently staring into space.

Admittedly, it was perhaps an absurd idea. Nevertheless she turned on the stove and opened the fridge, remembering she had prepared two more chocolate volcanoes the other day.

When she returned on the terrace a little later, Loki was sitting in his chair again, holding his head in his hands.

ooOoo

He'd gone too far and he knew it. He always knew it in the end. That, however, wouldn't stop him from going too far the next time, pushing the limits over and over again.

This time, he'd truly outdone himself. He'd pissed off the only person who still cared about him and was willing to give him a chance. But he'd cast it to the wind- it wouldn't even surprise him if she had called S.H.I.E.L.D by now, asking them to pick him up.

He hadn't wanted to hurt the witch. Not intentionally, at least. He had merely wanted the memory to end, and with it the pain and the shame and all his damned emotions. Pathetic! He wished he could simply stop feeling, but the betrayal still hurt, making him remember all the times he'd felt different and scorned.

The witch returned and slipped a plate with a small dark cake in front of him.

Loki glanced up to her with an expression of utter incredulity on his face.

"Monster feeding time." She said, trying to make her voice sound light but he noticed the strain in it. He also noticed the treacherous traces of tears on her cheeks.

"You cried."

"I was angry." The witch snuffled, stubbornly wiping her eyes- probably not the best idea because now she was smearing her mascara even more. Loki decided to not mock her about it, he'd done enough damage for tonight and was still surprised that she offered him cake instead of returning him to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I was- perhaps- reacting a bit too drastic," he admitted. _Oh, but the cake smelled good_...

"Glad we can agree on that. Now, eat, Beastie Boy. Before it gets cold."

Frowning at her, Loki dug his spoon into the cake, realizing it was all liquid inside. He took a tentative bite... and was overwhelmed by the sensation it caused to his taste buds. It wasn't like anything he had ever tasted before. It was slightly bitter, rich in flavour, and yet there was also a delicate sweetness to it. Pure, utter bliss.

He must have released a sigh of pleasure, because the witch gave him a smug smile.

"Am I right to assume you don't have chocolate in Asgard?"

Loki tried to turn his expression back into a mask of cool indifference... but failed when he took another spoonful.

"You should try it with a sip of wine; it's a great combination."

He followed her advice and had to admit she was right. The combination of wine and chocolate seemed to increase the flavour of both products and gave him the feeling of- well, it wasn't like coming home from a long journey since he didn't have a home anymore; it was more like arriving and being welcome.

He had absolutely no idea why she was doing this; she really shouldn't be so... _kind._.. not after he had vent his rage on her, throwing her across the terrace, not caring if that could possibly kill her fragile mortal body. His outburst had shocked even him, albeit not enough to break his pride and apologize.

"Why?" Loki asked after a while, too curious to remain silent any longer. "Are you really that foolish to believe food would render me docile?"

"No, I thought we could both use some comfort food after the recent events. Don't you agree?"

When Loki didn't reply, she continued. "You know, I don't want to pester you with all my silly sentiments, but I still believe you deserve a second chance. But before I go on- could we at least agree on that there will be no more throwing me around while you're staying at my place?"

He thought about it for a moment, then he agreed.

"What's Avatar?"

The witch shot him a puzzled glance, then she chuckled. "Ah that- well, Avatar was a movie a blue-skinned humanoid species from another planet. It was a big commercial success."

"Are you trying to mock me, witch?"

"No, you wanted me to see the monster in you, but I failed. Blue skin and red eyes aren't really that scary, and to be honest, for a frost _giant_ you're not... um-"

"Tall enough?" Loki offered. "I believe that's why Laufey left me to die."

"Laufey?"

"The late king of the Jotuns, my dear father."

She detected the sarcasm in his voice; she was a clever little witch. "What happened to him?"

Loki picked up his wine glass, took a sip and then relaxed in his chair, before he replied smugly. "I tricked him into entering Asgard with the promise of murdering Odin in his sleep. When he was about to do so, I killed him."

There may be a couple of things he'd done that he regretted, this was definitely not one of them.

"What about your mother?"

"She witnessed me saving Odin and for a moment-" He fell silent, realizing his mistake. Frigga was **not** his mother. The witch had asked about his biological mother, and actually that was an interesting question. "I don't know. Probably just a nameless slut."

"Or a war bride? If I understood correctly you were found in the aftermath of a battle. I admit, I don't know anything about Asgardians or Jotuns, but I know that wars in general aren't fought on battlegrounds alone. There are other means than just swinging the axe or firing missiles; there's often also the terrorizing aspect."

His fingers tightened around the glass, almost crushing it in his hand. Perhaps, he shouldn't have killed Laufey that fast. On the other hand, it was bad enough to know he was of frost giant origin, so why make things worse and find out he was also a product of rape?

"You know, Loki, it doesn't matter who fathered you or gave birth to you. In the end, all that matters is who raised you, who gave you love and shelter and ideals. Of course, they should have told you where you came from as soon as you were old enough to understand. Knowledge doesn't necessarily bring happiness, but hiding the truth from you for so long was a very stupid way to not make you feel any different. It could only lead to disaster.

"Anyway, you have to come to terms with it. You can't change what happened. You will have to live with that knowledge; it will be part of you and never go away. Maybe one day it will hurt less and not appear as a betrayal to you, but until then, don't let it shatter you. You're more than that. Your Jotun background is nothing but a genetic code; it doesn't mean anything. It's still up to you to define what kind of man you want to be."

He listened; he heard her out. He didn't let his anger get the better of him. Didn't tell her to mind her own business because apparently she had made him her business, and he was still surprised she hadn't given up on him despite the way he had treated her.

Loki took another sip of wine, trying to recall the days when he used to be the level-headed one. The one who used his brain- contrary to Thor, who always preferred a display of his physical strength.

"Have you ever talked about these things before?" The witch asked.

"Will you ever stop pestering me with questions?"

"I'm of an inquisitive nature; it's part of my job."

"Your job?"

"Yeah, I'm working for the WIIA, the Wizarding Investigation and Intelligence Agency. We investigate magically related crimes and although we do cooperate with Muggle authorities, we're an independent-"

"So this is no more than an interrogation, but with food and wine as a bait for my cooperation?" He suddenly felt foolish for believing the witch actually cared about him.

"No." She actually possessed the nerve to roll her eyes at him and she grabbed his arm to stop him from getting up and walking away. Loki glared down at her. "Please stay. This is still a conversation. I'm not interrogating you; I merely want to get to know you better."

"And if I want to end this conversation now?" He snapped.

She let go off his arm. "That would be regrettable- but if you want to leave, please don't leave in anger. I'm not trying to fool you. I'm not at work at the moment. Actually, I'm on an unpaid leave for a couple of days just to enjoy the pleasure of your company.."

"Nevertheless, I will go to bed now."

"Sleep well, Loki." The witch chirped.

thanks to ellennar for beta reading


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Raven entered the kitchen the next morning, Loki was already up and apparently, he had busied himself with the coffee machine... well, more with the milk frother to be precise because there was frothed milk all over the place, even on the god of mischief. King of the world, crowned with milk froth.

He however seemed to be quite contented with himself, sipping coffee, reading the _Wizarding Times._

She smirked. "Good morning. Having fun?"

"You're late." Loki didn't look up from the newspaper

"Well, obviously you know how to handle a coffee machine." With a wave of her wand the kitchen was clean again, and also the dark hair of her guest. She noticed then that the bowl atop the counter was empty, so Loki couldn't be close to starving. "Oh, and you found the fruit. What more do you want? Don't tell me you missed my company."

"It was pleasantly quiet this morning."

"I'm so sorry. You know, I had problems getting up this morning. It felt like someone had grabbed me by the throat and hurled me across the terrace."

He had the decency to look slightly ashamed as he mumbled something unintelligible into his coffee.

Raven shuffled to the fridge and opened it. "So, do you want to have anything else for breakfast? Scrambled eggs with bacon or pancakes with strawberries?"

"There are still strawberries?"

"Ooh, seems you missed something on your raid. Remind me to go grocery shopping later-"

"Go grocery shopping."

She rolled her eyes; he really was in a splendid mood this morning. Although she really liked cooking, she didn't want to give him the impression she was his personal cook he could order around. Perhaps that was what he was used to from his life as prince of Asgard but now he was in her world. And she wanted scrambled eggs with bacon, so she put a plate with strawberries in front of him before she heated a pan, slowly frying the bacon.

All of a sudden, she heard the sound of grinding coffee beans and after that, coffee spluttering into a cup. Then the cup was being placed next to her by invisible hands.

Raven turned around. Loki was still sitting at the counter, reading the _Wizarding Times_; his face a mask of pure innocence.

"Thank you," she whispered. The coffee was hot and black and just the way she liked it. Damn! Loki could switch from insufferable to charming within seconds; it was like a roller-coaster ride having him around.

"It smells good." Raven almost dropped her cup because his voice came from right behind her shoulder and she hadn't even noticed him approaching. He chuckled at the way she jumped and whirled around, threatening him with a fork.

Loki crossed his arms over his chest, amused by her antics. "In Asgard, this dish would be made with a thick slice of bacon, dripping with grease. It always made me feel sick. But these look thin and... crispy. I may want to try it, if you don't mind."

"Oh... okay." Totally confused, Raven put the bacon in the oven to keep it warm, then she cracked some eggs. All the time wondering who was manipulating whom or if they were actually manipulating each other; he with his courteous behaviour and she with her cooking skills.

In the end, breakfast was an agreeable affair. The bacon was crispy, the scrambled eggs soft and fluffy, and Loki kept chatting about the trivial aspects of life in Asgard. His tone was amiable, but then again he wasn't giving away anything personal. Nevertheless, Raven noticed that as much as it was his home, he wasn't keen on returning there.

Well, that could eventually become a problem.

_'And after that, lass?' _Alice had asked when handing her the Portkey. '_After you have freed Loki, what will you do then?'_

Raven hadn't known an answer then- all she had cared about was stopping S.H.I.E.L.D from torturing him and to give Loki a safe place where he could recover. By now, he seemed to have recovered fairly well, and she still couldn't come up with a sensible answer.

She hadn't lied to him when she told him she was on an unpaid leave, because that's what she had actually arranged with Alice. Nevertheless, she was to find out if Loki was still a threat to this world- or just to himself.

In order to distract herself, she made a shopping list and changed into more presentable clothes for her visit to the market.

Loki glanced expectantly at her when she came down the staircase, wearing a casual summer dress.

"So we're finally leaving for the market now?"

"We?" Raven arched a brow at him. "_I_ will go to the market. _You_ will stay here. S.H.I.E.L.D? Face trace? Remember?"

"And if I'm not wearing the face they're tracing?"

Suddenly, Severus was standing in front of her, looking very very real. But it wasn't him- it was Loki.

"Impressive. But can you really keep up the pretence? Do you want to walk hand in hand across the market with me, pretending you love me?"

She hadn't even finished speaking when he had already changed back.

"'twas just a little fun, actually." He said with a boyish grin.

"Yeah, lots of fun indeed." Damn, but she already missed Sev, even if he was just gone for one and a half days. "Well, if you get bored because I'm not here to pester you with questions- there's the TV. Or if you prefer reading, we also have a library. It's down the spiral staircase. You can't miss it."

Raven picked up a basket, checked if she had her phone, purse and keys before heading for the door.

"Witch! What's shawarma?"

She stopped, heaving an exasperated sigh as she turned around to face Loki who was now lounging on the sofa. "Well, it's sort of Oriental fast food. Basically it's spiced meat cut off a large skewer, wrapped in a flat bread together with vegetables and a dressing. Why? Would you like to try it?"

"Indeed," he nodded, flashing her a winning smile.

"Alright, I'll get you some on my way back." Raven offered before she left.

ooOoo

The door slammed shut loudly as she departed. Loki waited for the treacherous sound of keys turning in a lock, but that never came. He wasn't imprisoned. He could walk right out that door and be gone long before she returned. The witch was either naive or downright stupid to trust him.

On the other hand, what's the point of running when you've got no place to go? And he'd been on the run for too long already. He felt drained, tired of running and falling and fighting. It was time to catch his breath again; time to stop and think. How many times had he said these words to Thor, and that imbecile had _**never**_ listened.

_'Know your place, brother!'_

Words stinging like a knife, like a slap in the face.

Perhaps now was a good time to heed his own advice. For the first time since the cancelled coronation- about an eternity ago in another life- he had stopped falling. He had landed hard, but for once he didn't feel the need to run and fight and defend himself. He wasn't being threatened, wasn't hurting anymore... well, except for his pride, perhaps.

With a sigh, Loki stared at the blank TV screen. Then he spotted the remote control and switched it on. Surfing through the various channels, he soon came to the conclusion that the mortal entertainment program was a mind dulling affair made for dimwits. Thor would probably love it... provided that he'd find a way to switch on the TV without using his hammer and smashing it in the process...

Loki rolled his eyes at the idea, wondering if Thor had returned to Asgard without him or if he was still in New York with lovely Jane. _What will Odin say to that?_ He doubted the Allfather had given his explicit approval to the golden boy's extended stay in Midgard, but there was nothing he could do about it since the Bifrost was gone and the Tesseract still in the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D- Loki laughed at the irony of it. Only because he had caused the destruction of the Bifrost, Thor was now having sort of a premarital honeymoon with his beloved mortal- an astrophysicist, Barton had told him. An intellectual woman, who probably had enough braincells for both of them. Well, there was a saying that opposites attract- it just didn't always turn out well, Loki knew from experience.

Biting his lips he shook his head at his own foolishness. It was just a memory; it didn't hurt anymore. Love was for children.

He was about to switch off the TV, when he found a news channel. Even ten days after the alien invasion, it was still on the news. There were reports about the damage done to the city, how the cleanup efforts were proceeding; pictures of missing persons were shown as well as pictures and videos taken with the cell phones of bystanders. Loki was almost disappointed that apparently no one had taken a picture of him, nor was he ever mentioned as the initiator of the Chitauri attack. But he could live with the lack of recognition. It had been a stupid plan anyway, trying to conquer Midgard with the help of an incompetent army that lacked finesse. His plan had been doomed from the beginning... well, all he had ever wanted to was to escape him. The Other.

_...no realm, no barren moon, no crevice..._

_SHUT UP!_

The voices in his head fell silent.

Shuddering, Loki glanced back at the screen, and was suddenly surprised to see the familiar face of the Iron Man, Tony Stark, at a press conference held in Los Angeles last night. The reporter spoke of a commotion, but all Loki could see was Stark getting increasingly fed up with questions about the Avengers and aliens when all he wanted to talk about was clean energy and the prototype of building he had developed. In the end he clammed up, suited up, and rocketed upwards, leaving behind a horde of media people staring open-mouthed at the nightly sky that had opened up above them.

After that, he finally switched off the TV and went on a tour exploring the penthouse. He already knew all of the rooms on this floor- there was the large living room with its very high ceilings and windows opening to the terrace; the kitchen, only separated from the rest of the room by a counter. On the opposite side, a corridor led to his room and bathroom where the ceiling was much was lower. He walked up the staircase leading to the upper floor with its master bedroom. He managed to open the door but couldn't get inside due to strong and powerful wards protecting the privacy of the witch and her husband- well, he wasn't even interested in invading, so he went downstairs again and headed for the spiral staircase, its landing situated in a small corridor next to the entrance door.

The witch had said there was a library down there. He expected to find one or two bookshelves-

"Oh!" Loki gasped, holding his breath. _Library_ was not an understatement. He had reached the end of the staircase and was staring in awe at the many rows of bookshelves reaching from floor to ceiling. The air smelled of old leather, dusty pages and_ knowledge_... he liked knowledge. Admittedly, it was often frowned upon in Asgard, especially by Thor's wonderful friends who loved to mock him because he rather preferred to spend his time with a book than on the training ground.

Excited, he walked along the rows with keen eyes, reading the titles. There were books about history, medicine, forensic science, potions, magic... some of the books about magic were magical themselves, hissing and growling, whispering, snapping at him. That was an unparalleled experience, not known in Asgard. Smirking, he focussed on his own magic and challenged the most dangerous book to open amicably in his hands. It reeked of dark magic.

Loki flipped through the pages but wasn't in the mood to actually read it now; it was the challenge he'd sought; the fun of it. He could imagine himself sitting in one of those comfy armchairs by the fireplace, and while away many a winter's night reading. But not today. Although he had stopped running and falling, he was still much too agitated to relax, was still far away from a peace of mind.

_Where was the witch? She was gone for a couple of hours already. It couldn't take that long to do some grocery shopping..._

It wasn't that she'd given him reasons to not trust her. He had hurled her across the terrace and instead of calling S.H.I.E.L.D she had given him a chocolate volcano. Damn. She really was a hard one to figure out.

Loki had just returned to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water when he heard her opening the front door, talking.

Was she bringing more _guests_?

But no, she was just talking on her phone, which she had cramped between shoulder and ear because she was carrying the basket in one hand and a bag in the other.

"Hey Loki," she greeted him, smiling, as she unceremoniously shoved the basket into his arms; it was much heavier than it looked. Still babbling on the phone, laughing, looking happy, she let herself drop onto the sofa and opened the bag to pull out a pair of shoes. Green, high-heeled sandals.

Loki was so perplexed he could only gape at her, the basket growing heavier in his arms, as he watched her putting on these shoes.

"… I bought shoes- Yes, I know I already have plenty of them, but a girl can never have enough shoes, and I've always been looking for green ones- Yes, love, everything's fine here. Loki's just helping me to unpack the groceries. He's already feeling so much better- we're getting on pretty well, don't worry."

She gestured him to put the basket on the counter. Since it seemed to be a reasonable thing to do (at least more reasonable than keeping it in his arms,foolishly gaping at her as she admired her new shoes while sweet-talking to her husband) he complied. Loki placed the basket on the counter and glanced inside.

Apparently it was a magical basket because it contained so much more than it's actual size would allow.

Finally, she stopped babbling and hung up.

Loki turned around to glare at her. "You lied to your dear husband."

"No."

"So you merely wanted to protect him from the truth?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm now.

The witch got up from the sofa and approached him, knowing exactly what he was hinting at. She tsked. "Would you have preferred me to tell him what you did last night? Do you want him to hasten all the way back from Kathmandu and hex you into next week? Well, you can have that if you really want to, but to what point and purpose? You agreed to not do it again, so I think we settled that."

_I merely agreed to not throwing you around... which doesn't mean I won't ever threaten you again, _Loki wanted to reply. Instead he bit his lip and kept his mouth shut. After all, the witch had saved him from S.H.I.E.L.D.

She brushed past him and started unpacking the basket. Soon, paper bags with fruits and vegetables were piling on the counter.

"Nice shoes," Loki said after a while. "Is that what took you so long?"

"Sort of. I went into five shoe stores on my way to the market- you know, buying shoes is almost therapeutic for a girl and will make her feel better in the end. But having to follow a suspect through all the shoe stores if probably the most tedious job for two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D-"

"They're still following you?"

Now the witch smirked at him. "Not anymore. They called Fury after the fourth shop and were never to be seen again when I left the fifth. He must have realized that a witch who's hiding a dangerous fugitive in her penthouse would not go on a shopping trip."

A smile curled up his lips... _she really is a clever little witch_.

"Oh, by the way, I brought you shawarma."

_...and she keeps her promises..._

Loki flashed her a polite smile before staring sceptically at the wrap she had handed him. It didn't look like anything spectacular. But he wanted to try it, so he took a tentative bite. It wasn't bad... it wasn't the height of cooking skills either. And most definitely, it was not worth the fact that Thor had handed him over to the mercy of S.H.I.E.L.D so that he could eat shawarma with his new best friends. Well, Thor had never been picky when it came to food; if he was hungry he'd eat everything...

He took another bite and the shawarma seemed to turn to ash in his mouth; it almost made him retch.

"He- he left me for... for _that?_"

"What?" The witch turned around to stare at him. "What's wrong, Loki?"

A shadow was creeping over him, and he was feeling completely, utterly lost. He dropped the shawarma on the counter and almost fled to his room, slamming the door shut.

ooOoo

_Damn! _Raven heaved a sigh. Considering Loki's reaction it wasn't hard to figure out that Thor hadn't left Loki at S.H.I.E.L.D central just that he could spend a couple of days with Jane. No, the reason was far more trivial and seemed to have something to do with shawarma.

She should have known it. She should have known it the moment he'd asked her what it is, and if she hadn't been so preoccupied with licking her own wounds, still feeling hurt because he'd treated her roughly last night, she might have got it.

Raven ran frustrated fingers through her hair, realizing that she was doing a sloppy job because she had lost her professional objectiveness somewhere along the way and was taking things much too personally. And there was nothing she could do about it.

She stowed the grocery in the fridge, filled the bowl with fruits, and poured herself a glass of wine. Then she lit a cigarette and pondered if knocking at his door would be a sensible idea. He might have calmed down by now.

She waited a few more minutes until she had finished her cigarette, then she went to his room and knocked discreetly.

"Go away!" Loki yelled.

"As much as I accept your wish, don't you think it might be better to talk about it? I understand you're feeling betrayed because your brother-"

"He's NOT my brother!"

"Okay. Your not brother Thor left you at S.H.I.E.L.D, but I'm certain he had no idea what they'd do to you. Remember, I talked to him? He gave me the impression he'd smash their central command with that big hammer of his, had he known of the torture. He thought-"

"Wrong!" Loki's voice cut her off. "Thor does not think. He's not capable of it. And besides, why should he care? I tried to kill him more than once."

"Oh!" She hadn't known that, but it didn't surprise her. Raven had already figured out that the relationship between the two brothers was a difficult one, and it had reminded her of the Black brothers- Regulus and Sirius- except for the fact that they'd never tried to kill each other.

"Well, nevertheless Thor said he misses his little brother sometimes."

Silence. With her back to the door, Raven slid down to a crouching position, waiting for him to reply.

"It's an illusion he's missing. Sentiments with no meaning. He never really cared. He doesn't even know me at all and I'm not his brother. He's stupid enough to believe I only have to give up whatever I'm doing and go home with him, and everything will be alright. But nothing will **ever** be alright again. I don't want to go back."

"Do you want to stay here?" Raven asked, but Loki didn't reply. She waited for a couple of minutes before she tried it again. "Come on, Loki, talk to me. By trying to put your feelings into words, you will have to focus on them, and perhaps then you will start to see things much clearer than simply allowing them to run amok inside your head."

She heard him laughing. Then, all of a sudden and totally unexpected, he opened the door and she tumbled into his room, landing on her back again.

"Ouch... I'm getting too old for this!" Raven winced while Loki was still laughing. She glared at him.

He sat down on the floor opposite of her with his back to the wall, while she was struggling to get into a sitting position, dragging her dress over her knees for a more decent appearance.

"You're a nuisance, little witch."

"I know. You're not the first to tell me that."

Loki chuckled. "Talking... well, that's not the way things go in Asgard. You don't sit together and talk, at least not about something as irrelevant as hurt feelings. Nobody wants to hear that. All they ever talk about are glorious battles and great adventures."

"What about your friends? Are they not interested-"

"What friends?" He sneered. "Do you mean those who found it beneficial to hang around with me because I was a prince of Asgard? Or do you mean those who befriended me so they could get closer to Thor? Asgard's golden boy- no matter what he does, no matter how idiotic it is, they still love him as much as they hate me. Oh, or do you mean those wonderful friends Thor inflicted upon me in his greatness? Those who always thought me his annoying little side-kick but kept on pretending they liked me to not hurt** his **feelings? Ooh, he so loved to have me around all the time, because I would make him shine even more, and I was _**always**_ living in his shadow, and he _**never **_gave me room to breathe.

"Those wonderful friends couldn't wait to turn against me as soon as Thor was banished to Midgard, forgetting that it was_** his**_ idiocy, his arrogance and recklessness that earned him Odin's anger. He always led them into danger and it was usually I who got us all back home safe, but I was always at the receiving end of their mockery."

"So he did something stupid and was banished to earth?"

"It was just a bit of fun to ruin his big day," Loki admitted. "I let some frost giants into Asgard to cause a stir during his coronation; I merely wanted to prove father that he wasn't ready yet. It was never my intention to get him banished for starting a war with the Jotuns, but there was no way of stopping him. I tried, but his lust for battle overpowered his meagre capacity of logical thought." He let out a bitter bark of laughter. "Three days. His banishment lasted three days. He fell from the sky right into the arms of that woman he fell in love with. He would have slaughtered all of the Jotuns with his bare hands but sacrificing himself for Jane Foster was enough to grant him redemption. I will never be that lucky."

Raven heaved a sigh. She still didn't know all that happened but compared to Thor's three days of punishment, Loki had definitely suffered worse. The Void, the Chitauri, the torture...

"You mentioned you were the rightful king of Asgard before you fell into the Void. Was that during Thor's three days with Jane?"

He arched a brow at her, amused of the way she had phrased the question. "Oh yes, the glorious days of my reign. The Allfather had fallen into the Odinsleep right after revealing the secret of my true parentage, Thor was banished and mother thought it a wonderful idea to make me king in the quietness of her chamber. No ceremony, no big fuss, no one who really cared about it or deigned to obey my commands. Our wonderful friends defied my orders, Odin's last command and Frigga's acceptance of it- _**she**_ didn't ask me to end Thor's banishment."

"Oh my, you really don't waste much time with talk in Asgard, do you?" She could still recall all the emotional turmoil he'd been through when he found out his whole life was a lie, and to imagine Odin just fell asleep at the end of the conversation, without granting Loki any real closure, and then being burdened with leadership while he was still emotional unstable...

"I told you so. There's no need to pity me."

"Sympathy, Loki. It's called sympathy. And although I believe your mother-"

"Frigga is NOT my mother!" Loki snapped.

"So she never rocked you to sleep, never sang you lullabies, never consoled you when you were hurt? Never made you feel loved?"

Loki bit his lips and glanced away.

"Then she is your mother even if she didn't give birth to you."

"She shared her magic with me." He said after a while. "I'm grateful for that gift. Even if that meant endless mockery because of the time I rather spent with her than on the training grounds.

"She trusted me... but I fucked it up."

"No. It was just the most inopportune timing. I think she meant well and only wanted to prove her love for you by making you king, but she should have realized how very broken you were. You were probably still struggling to understand who you are, trying to make sense of it all, and not feeling comfortable with yourself is a bad presupposition for good regency- especially when you had to face disrespect and disregard from the beginning."

"Ooh, you're always so understanding, aren't you?"

"Well, a little knowledge of the human nature comes in quite handy in my job- although, usually I'm pursuing criminals instead of harbouring them." Raven flashed him a smile.

"When you're interrogating suspects, do they tend to cooperate just to stop you from talking?" Loki smiled back at her.

"You let me in because you wanted to talk."

"Um, I opened the door to shoo you away. You fell into my room."

"Ah, so it's my fault, then?" She made no attempt to get up and leave. She wasn't in danger; he wasn't angry. Instead, he seemed to enjoy their little banter.

"I should have expected their refusal to obey my orders," he continued after a while, and clearly Raven hadn't pushed him. "They wanted Thor back by any means, and they wanted him to be king instead of me, despite him bringing us at the brink of war with the Jotuns. Even if I had succeeded in repairing the damage he'd done- but making peace with the Jotuns was not my top priority after knowing Odin's plans for me."

"His plans?"

"Ever since we were boys he told us we were both born to be kings but only one of us could ascend to the throne."

"Now, that's really the height of pedagogical brilliance! So he incited the rivalry between you and Thor from the beginning, even though he knew you'd never stand a chance to best Thor." _You took me for a purpose. What was it? _Raven understood immediately what Loki must have feared. "Oh bugger! He wanted to install you as the puppet ruler of Jotunheim after Thor's coronation, in order to unite the two kingdoms and ensure peace."

"I would have come full circle. Cast out onto a frozen rock once again." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Jotunheim is such a charming place, all thawing ice and darkness. Well, perhaps Odin would have provided me with the Casket of Ancient Winters so I could restore it to its former glory of solid ice and permafrost. I don't even like cold..."

"I'm beginning to understand why you don't want to return to Asgard."

Loki shrugged. "Oh, I doubt Odin's plans are an option anymore. I don't even know how much of Jotunheim still exists after I exposed it to the destructive powers of the Bifrost."

"You tried to destroy an entire realm, an entire race-"

"A race of monsters Thor would have killed with his bare hands. Even when he was a boy that was his greatest desire- to slaughter them all just like Odin did."

"Phew!" Raven got to her feet, shuddering ever so slightly. The temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees. "I could really use a drink now."

"Do I disgust you now, little witch?"

"Disgust is a very strong word. I.. I sort of understand why you did what you've done but that doesn't mean I approve of it."

She left his room and went to the kitchen to have another glass of wine and a cigarette. Yes, she was shocked about his act of cruelty, his lack of remorse. Then she recalled the image of him dangling above an abyss made of maelstroms of energy- _from the Bifrost?_- and multicoloured nebula.

_'I could have done it, father...'_

_'No, Loki.' _

And he had let go, and he'd fallen into the Void.

Damn! Angrily she wiped the tears from her eyes. He had been raised with the idea the Jotuns were a race of monsters parents told their children about at night; he had been told stories of glorious battles in which Odin had slain hundreds of them- would he have acted differently if he had been brought up with the believe that even a Jotun's life was valuable? What did a life matter to a race of fearless warriors anyway? The Asgardians seemed to love battles... and Loki had made clear that he didn't usually share their attitude.

Why was it so much easier to come up with excuses for his behaviour than to condemn him for what he'd done?

_Because there is still hope. Because he isn't lost, yet. Because I refuse to give up on him. Because I hate to be wrong..._

With a sigh, Raven started to prepare dinner, hoping that cooking would help to take away the strain.

About an hour later, Loki entered the living room, slowly approaching the counter that separated it from the kitchen.

"You're cooking."

"A very astute observation," she mocked his remark in a light tone as she turned around to offer him a wry smile. "You didn't like the shawarma I brought you. I thought you must be hungry by now."

"Yes, but-"

Raven cut him off with a gesture of her hand, waving a wooden spoon at him. "I'm offering you dinner, not redemption. I cannot justify your actions. All I can do is to try and understand your motivation and put all the pros and cons on the scale. But in the end, it's you who has to live with what you've done. You alone will have to carry that burden."

With his lips pressed tightly together, Loki nodded and yet tried to smirk at her but failed. It looked strangely off, almost defeated.

She moved closer to him, placing a conciliatory hand on his arm while handing him a glass of wine.

"Go and sit on the terrace. I'm ready to serve the appetizer in a minute."

They had beetroot carpaccio with warm, honeyed goat cheese, baby spinach salad and pomegranate as a starter, followed by salmon with a lemony risotto and stir fried green vegetables.

Loki seemed to relax while eating, a smile was curling up his lips when creamy cheese met juicy pomegranate and beetroot, and he sighed with delight. The main course pleased him as well; the salmon's skin was crispy and it's flesh still glossy, juicy and tender, not overcooked. It was obvious to see he preferred such a menu over shawarma, and Raven liked to watch him savouring every bite.

It was so easy to tame the monster.

"What would happen to you, should you ever decide to return to Asgard?" She asked after a while. They had finished eating; she had refilled their wine glasses.

Loki took a sip of wine and shrugged. "If I'm lucky, Odin will kill me. If not... he will bind my magic, lock me up and throw away the key."

"So he calls himself the Allfather but shouldn't be allowed to raise kids- he really messed it up if one son lusts for battle so much he had to be banished to come to his senses while the other tries to prove himself and all the world that he's a monster. Wonderful."

He cocked his head to give her an amused glance, almost chuckling.

"You know, you should come to accept that you're not a monster... so stop behaving like one." Raven continued, but now he glanced away again, nibbling at his lips.

"Well, I might..." Loki got to his feet and started pacing the terrace. Raven watched him for a couple of minutes before she dared to ask if he was alright.

He turned to stare at her as though he had forgotten she was still there, which startled her.

"Hey, you're not trying to jump again, are you?"

"What?"

"I mean, like the first night here, when I found you at the edge of the terrace-"

"It wasn't my intention to jump. I was-" He frowned at her. "I don't remember."

Loki returned to his chair and sat down heavily. Raven tried to keep her curiosity in check, trying not to push him. He would talk to her, sooner or later, because no matter how much he pretended to be annoyed by her questions, he nevertheless appreciated the chance to tell his side of the story and being listened to without constant criticism. He might mock her empathy and yet he longed for that, though he'd never admit it.

It wasn't an unfamiliar situation for Raven. Severus had been just like that at the beginning, but she hadn't given up on him, had offered him friendship and love, never regretting the patience she had to bring up, never lamenting the many times of rejection... in the end, it had been worth all the trouble.

She reached for her phone, suddenly missing her husband, and typed a short message.

"It wasn't just me Thor left at S.H.I.E.L.D that day he went to have shawarma with his new best friends." Loki said after a while, just when Raven's phone was chirping. Ignoring the message on the display, she glanced expectantly at Loki.

"What else did he leave with them?"

"The Tesseract- don't you want to answer? Isn't that your dear husband sending words of love from distant Kathmandu?"

"What is that Tessa-thing? I remember you mentioned it before."

"Tesseract. It is called Tesseract. Do you want me to spell it to you?"

"Only if you think it may make more sense to google it instead of waiting for your answer."

He smirked. "You won't find it there anyway. S.H.I.E.L.D likes to keep their secrets."

"Tell me something new." She challenged him, typing quickly on her phone. She sent a message to Sev, explaining that she couldn't chat now, then she actually googled Tesseract, but there seemed to be no satisfying result, except that it was a four-dimensional analogue of the cube... well, it most definitely wasn't about a British progressive metal band called Tesseract T...

When she read the results to Loki, he couldn't help chuckling, probably thinking her absurd.

"It is actually a cube- and a source of unlimited power."

"Unlimited power? Power as in energy?"

"Forget the warm light to all mankind, little witch. S.H.I.E.L.D is so clearly not in the energy business, and neither am I. I used it as a portal- they were working on building an arsenal with it, and thanks to that stupid oaf who handed back the Tesseract to them, I believe they still do. Or do you think it was a coincidence that Jane Foster called the very moment Thor returned from eating shawarma? Was it pure generosity when Fury offered to fly her in?"

"Honestly?" Raven couldn't imagine Fury doing anything without a purpose and most certainly he didn't have a generous streak. "Didn't that smell fishy to Thor?"

Loki let out a bitter laughter. "It's Thor we're talking about! He doesn't think."

"Okay, I got that. But the Tesseract-"

"You mortals cannot possibly hope to control it in that idealistic way you're dreaming of."

"What a shame! Because if you had come to earth with that in mind, I would have knelt before you, willingly, supporting you. Mind, this world isn't perfect but it's the best we got and the very last thing it needs is another god to mess up things with even more fatalistic religious beliefs than we have already." Raven fell silent when she noticed him pacing the terrace once again, apparently lost in thoughts. "Loki?"

"It was S.H.I.E.L.D's work with the Tesseract that drew the Chitauri's interest to your world," he murmured in a low tone as if his voice was coming from very far away. "It's a doorway to other dimensions, and doors open both sides. You're lucky I opened it... and not _HIM_..."

ooOoo

"_HIM_? Who's he?"

"The Other."

Fractions of memories were slipping through his fingers like a handful of sand, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get hold of them, couldn't force them to become more than just vague memories of the time he'd spent with the Chitauri. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get hold on what was whirling though his mind, never lasting long enough to make sense... something about it was important, but as soon as he started digging deeper, a black curtain seemed to drop and cloud his recollection. He simply couldn't bring to a point what was troubling him.

"The Other?" The witch asked

_If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you. You think you know pain? You will long for something as sweet as pain..._

He could still feel the Other's fingers on his face, his neck, and that was enough to make him want to vomit, wondering what_ H_e had done to him or if he really wanted to know. There were gaps in his memories from the moment the Chitauri had found him in the Void until the bargain he'd made with them, out of desperation.

"Loki?"

He turned to stare at her, not really seeing her.

"Who's the Other?"

_If you fail, it the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you. You think you know pain? You will long for something as sweet as pain... _SLAP! Fingers on his face, cold and disgusting, digging in his mind

_Your ambition is little, born of childish need._

SLAP!

_The worm was monstrous. It came sliding closer, winding up his legs, crawling upwards, crushing his bones, suffocating him. Scales cutting into his skin like daggers, dripping poison into the wounds. A faceless, eyeless head- pale, just as pale as the Other's fingers- there was a slit... it opened and formed a lipless mouth with sharp teeth..._

"Loki!"

His name. The witch. Pulling him back. Saving him again. He was beginning to like her.

"He's the leader of the Chitauri... and..." He was panting heavily... _there was something, someone else... residing high above Chitauri space... a winding staircase leading up..._

_He might, or might not, have walked up there to meet...?_

He couldn't remember.

But then he remembered the light, a faint bluish glow in the darkness of Chitauri space- the same blue as the Tesseract and yet different. It was... _everywhere... _in the tiniest crevices between the rocks... particles flowing in the air... It was life, the Chitauri's life force. Ancient power, just like the Tesseract-

"LOKI!"

Finally, he was seeing her clearly. She was standing right in front of him, a witch with black hair swinging in a high ponytail, dressed in a casual summer dress.

"What?"

"Yeah, right. _What_? What the fuck is wrong with you? I mean, your eyes didn't turn blue this time but-"

"Blue?"

"Damned, they were blue- of a strange blueish glow- that day you were about to jump."

"I never intended to-" He bit his lips, recalling the very moment she was referring to. Very vaguely he remembered falling asleep after the wizard had set his fingers, and he'd been grateful for the relief of being almost painless in what felt like an eternity to him. But then, in his dreams, there had been this call. A call he'd just had to follow, and... in the end it had led him to the edge of the terrace, and he would have taken the final step, because...

_If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you. You think you know pain? You will long for something as sweet as pain..._

HIS voice again. The sceptre was calling out for him- the tool once given to him by the Other. Or had _**he**_ been made a tool of that sceptre, as the witch had suspected?

"Blue?" He asked again. "Blue like the eyes of Barton and Selvig after I made them my... _allies_?"

"It was hard to see in the footage I watched about your arrival on this lovely planet," the witch said pensively, "but now that you're mentioning it- yes, something did happen with their eyes; they seemed to change colour."

So he'd just been another pawn of the sceptre- a tool with a little more willpower than the mortals since the Other had not gained total control over him; he had given him plenty of rope to act, only tightening the reins occasionally to remind him of his promise.

But then it had ended. That night, that first night on this terrace, it had ended. If it was because she had pulled him back or because the Other had no use for him anymore, Loki couldn't tell... however, that didn't necessarily mean the Other had given up.

He must have found another fool ready to wield the sceptre. And that idea sent an icy shiver down Loki's spine, because both the Tesseract and the sceptre were still at S.H.I. .

"Damn!"

"What's troubling you?" The witch asked in a soft tone.

"The Tesseract... if they're still working on how to control its power like they did at Project Pegasus and the sceptre has found a new fool, the Other might be able to use it as a gateway just like I did. The Tesseract isn't safe with the mortals at S.H.I.E.L.D. Thor should have known that. He should have taken it and gone home to Asgard." Loki fell silent when he realized he'd spoken his thoughts out loud. Angrily he turned around, wishing he'd just keep his mouth shut and not get that chatty when a pretty face was around. Romanoff had used the very same trick on him, and although he had foreseen it- _ after whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm, and I would cooperate-_ he had fallen into her trap nonetheless, until she'd coolly thanked him for his cooperation.

Now, he almost expected to hear the same words from the witch. After all, she had really appeared to be a friend, had truly been a balm, and despite her being a nuisance, he had begun to... well, not explicitly to _trust_ her, but to open up to her more than he should have, and-

"Okay, so what can we do?"

"_We_?" Totally perplexed, Loki stared at the witch.

"Do you want to go through this all on your own? As far as I understood, the Tesseract isn't safe at S.H.I.E.L.D, because the Other has probably corrupted one of them with the power of the sceptre, and he's looking for a way to come to earth, kill you or worse, and take the Tesseract. Therefore, the Tesseract has to be removed from S.H.I.E.L.D central- preferably to a place where the Other can't get it, and since you don't seem to trust us mortals with the powers of the Tesseract anyway, it might be a good idea to let Thor take it back to Asgard as soon as possible. Admittedly, it won't be easy to convince him to leave without you, provided you're still unwilling to return, but we'll find a way." She returned to her chair and poured herself another glass of wine. "Did I miss anything?"

"What's the profit you hope to gain?"

"You mean, apart from preventing another alien invasion, this time led by the Über-Chitauri himself?"

It was a reasonable answer, nevertheless Loki frowned at her. He should be grateful for her offer... but accepting it would mean trusting her and he was still having issues with trust. Without sitting down, he took the glass of wine she handed him.

"Do you know if they're still keeping the Tesseract at S.H.I.E.L.D central here in New York?"

Loki took a sip of wine and shrugged. "As long as I enjoyed their hospitality, I could still feel its power radiating. I have no idea what happened then. Someone should talk to Thor and convince him to return to Asgard, then he would have to ask Fury for the Tesseract and probably he'd realize how very stupid it was to leave it at S.H.I.E.L.D in the first place."

He was pacing the terrace again, carrying his wine glass with him. Then he stopped to stare in the distance. It was late at night but this city never seems to sleep. There were blinking neon lights everywhere, and this sea of light was reaching for as far as he could see. Asgard appeared tiny compared to this. But he also saw an absence of light, almost like a crater of darkness, all around one particular building, a tower that had once been a beacon of self-adulation- now, only a shining A was left of its former glory.

A strange feeling of guilt was gnawing at him. He should have stopped it- _I couldn't let HIM know I wanted to stop it... what had taken Selvig so damned long?_

"Loki, is there anything I can do?"

He whirled around. The witch was really good in sneaking up on him; he had almost dropped his wine glass. He heaved an exasperated sigh.

"I know it's hard," she placed her hands on his arms, "but please trust me."

Her touch was warm and comforting. He cast his eyes to the floor, nibbling at his lip. She was right, it was hard.

"I know I'm just a witch; I don't have any super powers like the Avengers, but unless you do not intend to break into S.H.I.E.L.D and smash everything that gets in the way, I still might be of use."

"Thor's the one who prefers smashing things. I would prefer to come up with a more subtle plan. We need access to S.H.I.E.L.D's computer system."

She smiled and he realized he had said _we_.

"That's a good idea."

Loki glanced over the nightly skyline of Manhattan until his eyes fell on a particular tower once again. "And I know exactly who's going to help us."

"What?" Of course she had already figured out what he was up to. "You don't even trust me and now you want to ally with one of the Avengers of all people?"

"You mean, after I thoroughly managed to piss off every single one of them?" Loki chuckled darkly. "Well, I wouldn't ask the soldier or Banner- he's likely turn into a mindless green beast at the very sight of me. But Stark is... different. I should have accepted the drink he offered me. Alas, I was too busy, then."

"The fact that he offered you a drink doesn't make him trustworthy." The witch offered for consideration.

"Right. But he's got brains. And he's got Jarvis."

"Jarvis?"

"Stark's artificially intelligent computer system that acts like his personal butler. It controls everything in his home and even deployed his suit to catch his fall after I threw him out of the window."

"Wait- you threw Stark out of the window and now you're hoping he'll help us?"

Loki flashed her a smug smile. "You will talk to him and pique his interest. He cannot want the Tesseract being used again as a gateway for another alien invasion. Call him."

"You're sure?" The witch asked, but was already dialling a number on her phone. Not Stark's though. Instead, she seemed to be calling one of her assistants at the WIIA. "Hey, Rocco, I need Tony Stark's number. - Yes, that Tony Stark, otherwise known as Iron Man." She fell silent for a moment and then her phone was beeping, so she glanced at the display, nodding. "Okay, I got it. - No, I do not need to know his blood type, sharp tooth. You're annoying!- Oh, don't sunshine me 'cause sunshine gets you killed one day. Now hop back into your coffin. Thanks."

"Coffin?" Loki arched a brow at her.

With an apologetic shrug, she explained. "Stark's got Jarvis, we've got Rocco. Unfortunately, he's not AI but a vampire, and therefore not quite as effective. Nevertheless, he's good at his job- if he's not distracted with filing mail orders to all the blood banks of the world."

She paused to stare at her phone. "Loki, do you really want me to call Stark now?"

"Are you worrying about me, little witch?"

"Why, yes, of course. I didn't save you from S.H.I.E.L.D just so you can risk you're life again a few days later."

_Damn!_ Perhaps that was the point when he finally came to trust her, because her concern wasn't feigned; it was real.

"Well," he said coolly, hiding his emotions, "it's up to you to convince him that he must help you. You may leave my name out of it."

"Alright." The witch dialled the number and turned on the speakers of her phone so Loki could follow the conversation.

As expected, she first had to get past Jarvis, but she managed that with charm and conviction. He was impressed.

Then he heard Stark's voice, sounding slightly bored, just like an answering machine, telling her that consulting hours were every other Thursday between twelve and two, and please leave a message after the beep.

"Hi," she chirped, and the expression on her face told Loki she'd figured out Stark's little trick, which didn't stop her from leaving a cryptic message on his not answering machine. "You don't know me and my name doesn't matter anyway, but as it seems we have a common friend and he's from far away. He came to New York with this blue-eyed lass called Tessa, but she abandoned him and got in the bad company of guys who mean to prostitute her. She's very vulnerable, you know, and it might be sensible to free her and send her back home where she belongs-"

"Hold on!" Stark cut her off, all of a sudden not in the answering machine mode anymore. "Jarvis, is this a safe line? Who are you and what are you talking about? So, this is a safe line- I'm listening."

Loki grinned.

"Not on the phone. Safe line or not, I would prefer to talk to you in private. May I come over?"

* * *

thanks to ellennar for betaing. All remaining mistakes are mine but please keep in mind that English is not my first language. Nevertheless, I love feedback! Come on folks, you must have an opinion! Love it? Hate it? Let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

chapter 6

Tony Stark had agreed to meet her right away. Loki seemed to be pleased- perhaps a tad too pleased since there was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes when Raven told him to stay behind because she wanted to check the situation first, wanted to find out if the Iron Man would call S.H.I.E.L.D as soon as she mentioned Loki.

She could have Apparated to the terrace of Stark Tower, but considered it more polite to use the main entrance and ride up to his penthouse in his private elevator. Besides, he didn't have to know yet that she was a witch.

Raven checked her reflection in the mirror. She had put on some lipstick before leaving. Stark was known to be a playboy so the frustrated secretary look she used at S.H.I.E.L.D wouldn't work on him; she had to give him some eye candy to gain his attention and, hopefully, his cooperation. She was very well aware of the fact though that she couldn't compete with all the beautiful starlets and models usually seen at his side.

The elevator stopped and its doors opened to a spacious, modern-style living room. Tony Stark was standing in the middle of it, giving her a cautious smile. It didn't reach his dark eyes.

"Good evening, Mr Stark." Raven said politely as she stepped out of the elevator. Of course she had seen Stark on TV before. He was a handsome man, and he knew that. The casual clothes he was wearing were understated and probably more expensive than they appeared.

"Hello, um... please call me Tony. I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name when you called."

"That might be because I didn't tell you." She smiled at him. "Anyway, I'm Raven."

"Just Raven, eh? Not Agent Raven or something like that?"

"I'm not with S.H.I.E.L.D if that's what you mean."

"Yeah, I suspected that. Your green shoes gave you away. Couldn't image anyone at S.H.I.E.L.D- um, would you like a drink? I'm having one." He went to the bar and poured himself a generous amount of dark amber liquid

Stark seemed to radiate an air of confidence but that was just for show. Inside, he was tense, strained. Just like the smile that didn't reach his eyes, he was hiding a lot of his true self, fears and worries behind a mask of certainty that could easily be mistaken for arrogance. Raven noticed that despite his tanned skin there were dark circles under his eyes, probably caused by lack of sleep.

"A glass of red wine would be nice."

"Red wine, red wine..." He disappeared from view behind the counter, apparently opening a cabinet. Then she saw his arm coming up, his fingers clutching the neck of a bottle. "Château Mouton Rothschild, 1989?"

Raven gaped at him. "Um, it doesn't have to be one of the world's most expensive wines. A simple Rioja will do just fine."

"Ah, you prefer Spanish wines?"

His hand went down again and Raven could hear the clinking of bottles; she also heard him mumbling in a low tone and assumed he wasn't soliloquising- after all, Loki had told her about Jarvis, Stark's AI. Probably he was already checking everything that could be found about her without even knowing her full name.

Then, Stark held up another bottle. "How about a Remirez de Ganuza Gran Reserva. It's said to be a favourite of the Spanish royal family."

Raven rolled her eyes but you don't complain about a pricey wine when you're invited by a billionaire.

"So you're not working for S.H.I.E.L.D," Stark came back from behind the counter, now holding a tablet in his hands, "Raven Snape, nee Lestrange, married to a certain Severus Snape. Degree in forensic science, New York crime laboratory, FBI-"

"Is there anything else you want to tell me about me? Because I happen to know my vita."

"What is the WIIA? How do you know about the Tesseract? S.H.I.E.L.D tried to keep that a big secret. You, um, mentioned a common friend?"

"Ah... yeah. Well, _friend_ was probably not the correct choice of words-"

"Right!" A very familiar voice cut her off as the door to the terrace opened and Loki came walking into Stark's living room with a smug expression plastered on his face. "I'm the one you still owe a drink."

Stark paled visibly at the sight of the Asgardian.

"Sir," Jarvis' impersonal voice came from the off, "Mr Loki of Asgard has just entered the building."

"Noticed that. Almost didn't recognize him-" Clenching his glass tightly in his hands, Tony glanced from Loki to Raven and back. "You look different without that glow stick of destiny. Jarvis! Deploy!"

"Tony, I swear there's no need to suit up. We're not here to threaten you." Raven hurried to say.

"_We_? As in you and he? You knew he'd be coming?"

"Um... no, I didn't know that." She glared at Loki. What part of _stay behind_ he did not understand?

"I merely accepted your invitation for a drink." Loki smiled at Tony. "I admit, it's a little late-"

"Last time I offered you a drink you threw me out of that window!"

"I remember. Well, you fixed it."

"I should bill you for it. And for the floor. It's very rare Italian-"

"I'm not to blame for the floor. I didn't ask to get smashed into it."

"Boys, stop that!" Raven stepped in between Loki and Tony before they could start a fight. "Tony, I told you we're not here to threaten you. We've got more important matters to discuss."

"If it's about another of his ill-fated attempts to become king of the world, please remind him that there is no throne for him." Tony pointed his finger at Loki. "I trust you as far as I can throw you."

"I believe I can throw you much farther; that doesn't necessarily mean I trust you more." Loki replied with a grin as he casually lounged in one of the nearest chairs.

"Boys, no throwing, no threatening, please."

"I didn't mean to threaten- I was merely making a jest." Loki put on a face of pure innocence.

"I must have missed the punch line."

"Um... I guess that was just the Asgardian way of saying I'm sorry for throwing you out of the window." Raven offered.

"What?" Loki frowned at her.

"What?" Tony was frowning at her, too.

At least they were both too stunned to consider bitching at each other, so it was a good thing.

"Alright." Tony said after a while, his face totally inscrutable. "I accept your apology. What do you want to drink?"

"Oh, just give me whatever you have." Loki pointed at the glass Tony was still clenching in his hand.

Tony stared into his glass and took a generous gulp of finest single malt whiskey, fifty years old, of the Macallan Fine and Rare collection. Then he shrugged and walked to the bar in order to pour a glass for Loki.

"You know, I'd really appreciate if you'd try to not complicate things deliberately." Raven took a seat next to Loki who merely arched a brow at her. She continued, "May I remind you that it was _your_ idea to ask Stark for assistance? I'm trying hard to pour oil on troubled water but I think it's just his curiosity that keeps him from calling S.H.I.E.L.D-"

"He won't call S.H.I.E.L.D." Loki insisted, sounding almost stubbornly.

"What gives you that idea?"

"He trusts Fury even less than he can throw me. I bet he already has Jarvis running a decryption program to break into S.H.I.E.L.D's secret files; probably he started it the moment you called."

Raven nodded. At least the last part made sense to her. "Anyway, please try to not provoke him. He seems to be a bit edgy when it comes to you, and I reckon you have given him enough reason to be. You really should have stayed behind and let me handle this first."

"I..." He bit his lip and fell silent again.

"Please trust me," she whispered.

Loki glanced at her with a wry, lopsided smile but was spared from having to answer to that by Tony, who was joining them again, handing the Asgardian a glass of whiskey.

"Thank you." Loki said politely before he sniffed at the dark amber liquid. Then he took a sip and seemed to be pleased. "That's good. I like it."

"Fantastic! He likes it. Did you hear that? He likes a fifty year old single malt whiskey worth a few thousand bucks."

"He's a gourmet." Raven agreed.

Loki took another sip and sighed contentedly. " Perhaps, I should have accepted your offer earlier."

"And then what? You wouldn't have called your army to wreak havoc on Manhattan because of Macallan?" Tony questioned him. "Why are you still here anyway, and not facing Asgardian justice?"

"Ask that oaf with the big hammer who claims to be my brother."

"Thor?"

Now, Loki heaved an exasperated sigh. "Please don't tell me you know more than one idiot who claims to be my brother."

Tony's lips twitched ever so slightly at that, but he tried to hide his amusement.

"Thor left Loki at S.H.I. the day he had shawarma with you." Raven explained. "Then he got stalled by Fury who- what a coincidence- suddenly had Jane Foster on the phone and offered Thor a visit."

"Fury playing cupid to keep love alive?" Tony wondered aloud. " Not likely. Did Thor really buy that?"

"Apparently, because he not only left Loki at S.H.I.E.L.D central but the Tesseract as well."

"Ah, the evil guys who mean to prostitute poor Tessa part. Yep, I knew it wouldn't be that easy- it's a burden being right so often. So the bugger hasn't given up Phase 2 at all- Jarvis, I need all that's new about Phase 2."

"What's Phase 2?" Raven asked

"S.H.I.E.L.D's attempt to build an arsenal with the Tesseract." Loki replied instead of Tony. "It's what drew the Chitauri's interest to Midgard."

"Ah, that. Project Pegasus."

"Indeed." Loki glanced at Stark. "And if they're still doing the same kind of research like they did at Project Pegasus, the cube can still be used as a portal, as a doorway to other dimensions, and doors open both ways-"

"Is that a threat? Are there more of your allies waiting for that door to open?" Tony cut him off, looking alarmed.

"It's a fair warning."

"I... um... I wouldn't call the Chitauri his allies," Raven chimed in, and although Loki was glaring at her, she continued nevertheless. "They are not the most friendly species of the universe and they-"

Whatever she was trying to explain, her words got silenced by thunder rumbling in the distance. All of a sudden, a flash lit the sky and rain started pouring down heavily. The distant rumble of thunder was getting closer...

Loki flinched.

Tony jumped to his feet and muttered. "Not Shakespeare in the Park all over again!"

From apparently out of nowhere, pieces of armour came shooting at him, covering his legs, arms and chest.

Thor appeared at the terrace of Stark Tower, making quite an entrance with his hammer held tightly in his hand, his red cloak billowing behind him. Unerringly, he stormed at Loki, whose whole attire had changed from casual Midgardian wear back to the leather and metal of his Asgardian uniform within seconds.

"Always dressed for the occasion, eh?" Tony quipped, while Raven groaned, "Oh please, not these silly horns... they're just too much."

Thor yelled. "LOKI! Stop threatening these mortals!"

"What the fuck-?" Totally perplexed, Tony glanced at Raven, who had drawn her wand but he didn't pay any attention to that when he grabbed her arm and dragged her behind the counter to protect her from unintentionally getting hit by Thor's hammer.

Meanwhile, Loki was still lounging casually in his chair. Or so it seemed.

But when Thor's hand shot forward in an attempt to seize his brother by the throat, his fingers fell through a very real projection of Loki.

Thor looked thunderous. "I am not in the mood for your games."

"It's not my fault you're so idiotic that you always fall for that."

Raven chuckled. Unlike Thor or Tony, she had seen his magic flaring up in a diffuse light, gold and green. And probably she was also the only one in this room who knew where the real Loki was hiding.

"Loki. Stop this!"

It was ridiculous. Thor was chasing after Loki but every time he managed to lay a hand on him it was just another projection.

"He's all over the place." Tony's eyes were wide. He was all suited up except for the faceplate. "How does he do it? Is that how he escaped S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"No, he couldn't; his magic was bound."

"Magic? There must be a better explanation- how do_ you _know anyway?"

"ENOUGH!" Thor roared, dropping Mjolnir in frustration. The sound of the hammer crashing on stone made Tony glance over the counter.

"Not my floor again! Do you know how difficult it is to import those tiles from Italy? So how did Loki escape?"

"Ahem, I might have been involved in that." Raven confessed.

"You? You do realize that cops are supposed to catch the criminals not spring them?"

"I never really considered myself as a cop; it's the investigative works that intrigues me, not the law- um, Tony, what are you doing?"

The Iron Man was crouching right in front of her. "Checking your eye colour. They're blue."

"Yep, always have been. And it's not a Tesseract blue."

"So why? Stockholm Syndrome?"

"No. Loki didn't manipulate me. It's just... well, there are lines you do not cross and I wasn't willing to wait for Amnesty International to deal with his case." Glancing at Tony, who had backed off a little, she heaved a sigh. "Ask Jarvis for footage of the surveillance cameras in S.H.I.E.L.D's detention area."

"Jarvis!"

"Sir, I sent the required files to your tablet. Would you like me to show them as projections instead?"

"No!" Raven said vehemently before Tony could answer. She nudged the Iron Man. "Whatever you get to see- and I know it's going to be nasty- Loki doesn't need to know that you saw it."

Tony frowned at her, then look around for his tablet. It was still lying where he had put in- on a table on the other side of the counter. He cursed under his breath.

Raven brandished her wand and muttered a Summoning Charm that let the desired item land right in the Iron Man's hands. Again, his eyes widened.

"There is no throne for you in this realm. Midgard is under my protection. You will give up your plan to subjugate the mortal world and come home with me." She heard Thor speaking in a demanding tone

"Home? Ooh, you mean the place where the heart is," Loki's voice was calm but dripping with sarcasm. "The place where I am so genuinely missed that Asgard is crying rivers of tears because I'm gone? Give me a moment to consider your request- um, I guess the answer is NO."

"You have no say in that, Loki. I gave my word that you will face Asgardian justice, and I will be true to my word."

"Well, you'll have to depart from it. Go home and tell Odin I will accept banishment-"

"Stop mocking me, Loki! Being banished, deprived of my powers, was a hard lesson for me."

"Was it? Really? You fell from the skies right into the arms of the woman you love, and you actually have the nerve to tell me that was a hard lesson? You don't know anything, Thor."

Raven noticed that Loki was getting angry. Of course he wouldn't tell Thor about the Void, about the Chitauri; he was too proud to try and make him understand what he's been through.

That moment, Tony muttered, "And I always thought Legolas was one of the good ones..."

"Legolas? Ah, Barton."

Watching the footage had made Tony pale visibly; he switched it off, apparently sickened. "I know it's not right but I almost feel sorry for him."

"Just don't let him hear that-"

"Go home and leave me alone!" Loki's voice was getting louder. "I'm beginning to like Midgard. Hot showers, good food and wine, and much better drinks than the horribly sticky mead."

"Loki, ENOUGH! You cannot stay here. I won't let you-"

"And I'm tired of you telling me what to do. Leave. Me. Alone. Go home- ooh, but you can't go home, right? The Bifrost is still destroyed and you were foolish enough to leave the Tesseract at S.H.I.E.L.D. Do you really believe Fury will give it back to you?"

"Why? Yes, of course." Thor replied with an ingenuousness that made even Tony groan and roll his eyes.

Loki was laughing; it didn't sound amused. "You're even more an idiot than I ever thought. What a convenient circumstance that lovely Jane called just the very moment you came to retrieve the Tesseract, wasn't it?"

"Leave Jane out of it." Thor picked up his hammer again. No one but him seemed to understand the point and purpose of his action since it was obvious that Loki wouldn't meet him in person. "This is just between you and me, brother."

"I'm NOT your brother!"

"LOKI!"

"Okay, enough of that!" Raven decided. Perhaps it was madness- Tony seemed to think it was- to leave the safety of their hiding place behind the counter and approach Thor. The God of Thunder was furious, but she knew he wouldn't smash an innocent, unarmed woman into Tony's precious floor. "Please put down your hammer, take a deep breath- hey, let's all take a deep breath, okay?"

Thor stared at her, totally flabbergasted, but he actually dropped Mjolnir. From the corner of her eyes, Raven saw Loki slithering behind the counter where Tony was still sitting on the floor. Probably, both of them were in need of another drink because she saw the Iron Man's hand reaching up for the flask of Macallan.

"Thor, why don't you sit down? Let me just ask you a very simple question. Assumed, Loki returned to Asgard with you, would he get a fair trial?"

"I don't understand." Thor shot her a perplexed look and actually sat down in one of the chairs. "Odin will dispense justice on him."

"I guess that means no." Raven decided with a shrug.

"You dare to question the wisdom of Odin Allfather?"

"Um... well, yes, I do indeed. Due to Odin's relationship with Loki, being his foster father, he is too involved to guarantee him a fair trial with an unbiased jury and an advocate that will speak in his favour, defending him."

"What?" Thor gaped at her, not quite grasping what she was talking about.

"Well, that's how things work in a civilized world." Raven explained to him. From behind the counter, she heard Tony and Loki clinking glasses. "We give even the worst culprit a chance to defend himself. Now, try to think about what sentence Loki would have to face should he return to Asgard with you."

"Although he is beyond reason I still hope there's still some good left in him, but he deserves punishment for his crimes."

"Probably. But that's not up to you to decide." She remembered the state Loki was in, so horribly battered and bruised, before she had helped him escape S.H.I.E.L.D, and she thought he had suffered enough. Especially when considering the prelude- the Void, the Chitauri- but she wouldn't tell Thor. He probably meant well but Loki was still on the run from him, still trying to get out of his shadow. There was no point in trying to mediate between them; it was too early for that. "You gave up your responsibility when you left him at S.H.I.E.L.D for a week- muzzled, cuffed, his magic bound so he couldn't even heal from the Hulk's attack- while you were having a romantic interlude with Jane Foster. Do you actually believe that is a good basis for him to have trust in you?"

"I... um... I didn't know that." Thor's face dropped; he looked like a puppy that had been beaten. "I thought it was safe to leave him at S.H.I.E.L.D... Brother, can you hear me? I'm truly sorry."

"That's just so typically you," Loki replied from behind the counter. "Whenever you try to think, you fail. The fact that you left the Tesseract with them just proves your incompetence."

"S.H.I.E.L.D was looking for a way to deprive Loki of his magic," Raven continued, "that's what Fury contacted the WIIA for."

"What's the WIIA again?" Tony asked.

"Wizarding Investigation and Intelligence Agency-"

"I always hear magic and wizarding and you're fidgeting with that little stick of yours- admittedly, it's not as impressive as the glow stick of destiny, nevertheless I'm wondering whether you're the Wicked Witch of the West or the Good Witch of the North."

"Yes, I'm a witch. But this is not the Wizard of Oz, Tony. It's reality. Magic exists. In fact, there is a whole world, a parallel society, living next to yours, and you're totally unaware of it. Mainly, because we prefer to keep it that way and stay away from the Muggle world..."

"Muggle?"

"Their term for not magical humans." Loki informed him.

"And Fury knows about all that hocus-pocus?"

"Hocus-pocus? Actually, being a witch isn't any weirder than aliens attacking New York City or the fact that I'm talking to an oversized tin can while enjoying the company of two gods from Norse mythology, one of them looking like an abandoned puppy with a hammer and the other is playing Minotaur- you guys are really exhausting." Raven heaved a sigh. "It would be cool if this night won't end in a Greek tragedy. Perhaps we should focus on the Tesseract again?"

Thor was the first to agree. "She is right. I will talk to Fury tomorrow and ask him to return the Tesseract, so we can go back home."

"Fantastic idea!" Tony cut in. "I'm certain he'll feel obliged to follow your polite request." Then he muttered to Loki. "I think you've been too subtle when mentioning you don't want to return to Asgard with him."

Loki chuckled darkly. "Subtlety ended the day he was born."

"So what's your big plan now, Minotaur?"

"Well..." Loki fell silent for a moment. Raven saw the faint flicker of light, then he emerged from behind the counter, dressed in casual Midgardian clothes again. "If Fury returns the Tesseract to Thor, I will go back to Asgard with him."

Thor beamed at him. "Finally, you've come to your senses again, brother!"

Tony glanced over the counter at Raven, frowning. She smirked at him. Of course, it was unlikely that Fury would voluntarily return the Tesseract to Thor, and Loki knew that. He hadn't changed his mind at all; he had simply found a way to put an end to Thor pestering him.

"Um, I guess drinks are in order now." Tony decided then. "What can I get you, Goldilocks?"

That very moment, Jarvis' impersonal voice came from the off, informing Tony he now had full access to all of S.H.I.E.L.D's top secret files.

"Alright, then!" Tony clicked his fingers, and all of a sudden there were holographic projections all over the room. With his glass in his hand he moved closer. Loki followed him immediately.

Raven was impressed when she noticed how advanced his technology was. They were using a similar technology at WIIA, but similar wasn't good enough- and this was working without magic. She rose to join Tony and Loki.

"We should leave this to the mortals." Thor decided, addressing Loki. "We don't know enough about their technology."

"You don't." Loki agreed,, already knowing what to do or how to handle the projections. "I'm learning."

He scrolled down a screen titled _Project Pegasus_, quickly skipping the text for news.

"Loki, let's go!" Thor sounded impatient.

"Go? Go where, precisely? May I remind you that you don't have the Tesseract yet?"

"True, but..."

"But what, Thor? Do you want me to come with you now, holding your hand while you're cuddling with dear Jane? Is that what you want, Thor? When will you ever think before you open your mouth!"

Tony tried hard to not look amused, staring at the screen, pretending to be focussed, but Raven saw the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.

"I... I merely wanted to offer you a place to stay." Thor said, looking crestfallen. It was obvious he meant well, but Loki was simply not interested. His defences went up with every word Thor uttered and it wouldn't take long until his anger flared up again.

"I have a perfectly fine place to stay, thank you very much."

"Right!" Raven cut in. She wanted Thor to leave before anything happened that would lead to an Asgardian grudge match in Tony's penthouse, smashing his precious Italian tiles in the process. "As a WIIA agent and therefore responsible for all magical related crimes and culprits, Loki will remain in my custody until you have retrieved the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I wish I could trust you, witch-"

"Her name is Raven!" Loki snarled at Thor. "Don't call her witch!"

"What?" Raven gaped at him. "Is this really happening?"

"My apology, Lady Raven." Thor said to her. "I didn't mean to offend you, but you and your organisation are not known to me-"

"WIIA, founded in 2008 by_ Auror_- sort of magical super cop- Alice Steel, long-standing consultant of the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and some others, including S.H.I.E.L.D. A non governmental organisation, dealing with supernatural, mostly magically related crimes, approved by the government of the United States, the EU and the UN." Tony listed what he had found out about the WIIA. He shrugged. "Officially, there's nothing fishy about her... well, except for the fact that she's a witch and I don't believe in magic; I think it's just science we don't understand yet... Anyway, she's okay."

Raven flashed him a wry smile. From the corner of her eyes she saw Loki glaring at her, probably feeling betrayed because she had told Thor he was in her custody. But if he was clever, he'd figure her out.

"We fought together, Iron Man, therefore I will trust your word. Although Odin would want me to-"

"Odin has no legal right to decide on this; I have." Raven interrupted Thor in a sharp, annoyed tone. God or not, she really wanted to hex him into next week. Y_es, he means well_, she kept telling herself, _but he's just so goddamned annoying..._

Thor shrugged and glanced once more at Loki.

"Just give me a call when Fury has returned the Tesseract to you." Loki said smugly.

"Give you a call?" Thor seemed to ponder about that, then it dawned upon him. "Oh, you have a phone?"

"No." Loki smirked at him; it was a mocking smirk. "But you don't have the Tesseract yet."

Thor grabbed his hammer tightly and turned to leave.

"Oh, and please switch off the rain when you go." Raven called after him. But if she had hoped that things would calm down after Thor had left, she got disappointed.

"You lied to me."

Loki's words sent her over the edge.

"Are you being accusatory for a purpose? I've so had it with you Asgardians and super idiots! Ever since I met you, I lied to everyone but you, Loki, just to save your sorry arse. I'm growing weary of this fucking shit! Time out!"

Tony and Loki were exchanging confused glances, but Raven didn't notice. She walked out of the room and onto the terrace, still fuming inwardly. Fortunately, the rain had stopped. She lit a cigarette and inhaled, trying to calm down again.

_thanks to my lovely beta, ellennar._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The peaceful moment didn't last long. Raven hadn't even finished her cigarette when Loki appeared at her side, and she opened her mouth to snap at him, telling him to leave her alone, but he surprised her by handing her a glass of wine.

"Tony said you could probably use a drink..."

"Ah, Tony said that? How very considerate of him." She snatched the glass from his hand and took a long, greedy gulp.

"Yes, but I took the risk."

"Oh, you think I'm dangerous? If that's supposed to be a compliment you can save your breath."

"Dangerous is probably the wrong word. You're a fierce one and I like that."

"You'll be the death of me- and no, don't you dare to smile at me now. You're an insufferable, manipulative jerk-"

"But you like me."

Raven rolled her eyes, wondering why her anger had so suddenly disappeared. Probably it was because he could be quite charming sometimes, when he smiled at her like that. "Don't make me regret that."

"Agreed. Tony said I'd better not fuck things up with you because you saved me from S.H.I.E.L.D and you're giving me a second chance he's not certain I deserve. By the way, what were you showing him? You think I didn't notice because I was playing hide and seek with the oaf, but I did."

"I didn't show him anything. He asked me why I sprang you from prison when it should be my job to keep you locked away, and I told him what he should be looking for to understand my motive."

"You're good at twisting words, aren't you?" Then Loki paled visibly. "He _saw._..?"

"Yes, and he was disgusted. But before you freak out because of that, let me explain and _**listen**_ to me, Loki. You wanted his help, and I ensured you'd get it. Not because he pities you, but- how much do you know about Tony Stark? Did you know that he was once held captive in a cave in Afghanistan, tortured by terrorists who were keen getting their hands on his weapon technology? So swallow your pride and simply accept the fact that he sympathizes with you now, which is a much better basis for cooperation than the memory of you throwing him out of his window."

Biting his lip, Loki stared into the distance. Raven reached out for him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"You're probably right." He said after a long moment of silence, glancing through the high window panes to where Tony was standing- now without his Iron Man suit- watching holographic projections of S.H.I.E.L.D's secret files. "I need his resources if I want to find out where S.H.I.E.L.D is hiding the Tesseract and what happened to the sceptre. Aside from that, I appreciate his honesty- which doesn't necessarily mean I trust him- but he's following his own agenda, and he's not an easy to one to be manipulated or corrupted; he's not a pawn of S.H.I.E.L.D. So, let's go back inside."

Tony looked up the moment they entered the room, smiling ever so slightly.

"You're on friendly terms again? Great! Admittedly, things went a little rough when Thor was around- I still don't get how Asgard survived centuries of you two growing up together; you're like cats and dogs. Mind, I really appreciate his hammer when it comes to fighting aliens invading New York, but is he really dumb enough to believe in your little cheat? You have zero intention of returning with him."

"Ooh, you noticed my reluctance?" Loki asked in a mocking tone. "And I thought no one ever listened to me."

"Well, we do, obviously." Raven offered.

"He's an idiot to believe it can ever be like it used to be. I don't even want that! I'm so sick and tired of living in his shadow, trying to be his equal, trying to please Odin and get recognition- I don't care anymore. He's not my father."

"Ah, yeah, someone mentioned you're adopted." Tony said, but Loki cut him off immediately.

"_Adopted_ is such a nice word, suggesting someone wanted you."

"Hey, I know it sucks when you don't get recognition- my father was cold and calculating; he never told me he loved me or even liked me, and for a very long time I thought his happiest day was when he sent me to boarding school. Only later I found out that he simply wasn't good at expressing emotions...well, except when he was gushing about the world's first super hero. You've met him, the soldier from another time."

"I remember." Loki sneered. "But you're missing the point here- Odin was knee-deep in Jotun blood when he found me and he didn't take me because I was an innocent child; he took me for a purpose. I was no more than another stolen relict, locked up there until he had use of me. He even admitted that! All of my life he told me we were both born to be kings but only one of us would ascend to the throne, and I always took that as a challenge; I wanted to prove him I was the worthier son, not as reckless and arrogant as Thor, and yet he _always_ favoured Thor. Everyone favours Thor! He farts and everyone applauds. But it was then I realized he could never have a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard; he had meant to make me king of a frozen rock for the sake of eternal peace."

"A frost giant?" Tony's eyes scanned Loki from head to toe; it was obvious to see he didn't really consider him a giant.

"Did Thor not tell you of my true parentage?"

"Um... we didn't really have time for a nice long chat amongst buddies. You kept us too busy. So what are frost giants?"

"Monsters..."

"Is that why you tried so hard to be one?"

"Oh shut up, both of you. You're not a monster, Loki, even if you-" Raven interjected, then she fell silent for a moment and continued. "You know, I'm wondering how Odin knew you're Laufey's son?"

"What?" Loki stared at her, totally shocked since he seemed to guess what she was hinting at.

"Well, Odin said he found you in a temple, cast out and abandoned. But unless the Jotuns are so savage that they sacrifice unwanted babies to please their war gods, I still prefer to imagine a temple as a sacred place where you'd hide something or someone for protection- Oh shit!" She noticed how very pale Loki had become and reached out for his shoulder to give it a soothing squeeze. "I'm sorry, Loki. I shouldn't have started this."

"True, you always come up with thoughts that really make me feel better." He said in a snarky tone.

"We only know Odin's side of the story, and it might be true- or not, and he's the real monster."

"Hold on for a mo, let me try to understand what you're talking about." Tony said, frowning at Raven. "How do you know? You couldn't possibly have been around-"

"I saw his memories."

"Technically, not possible."

"Magically, it is." Raven countered.

Tony shook his head, then he glanced at Loki. "You do realize that having issues with daddy is no excuse for wreaking havoc on another planet, or to start a war and kill Phil."

"Tony is right. So, Loki, don't you want to tell him about the sceptre?"

"Finally we're back on topic. We have to find that damned sceptre and the one who's wielding it now, before he can use the Tesseract to open a portal for the Other to come to Midgard and-"

"The other? So there **are** more of your allies coming to pay a visit?"

"Argh! Why the hell do you guys always have to complicate things?" Raven wanted to tear out her hair in frustration. "I told you already that the Chitauri are _**not**_ his allies, and not all of them are mindless clones, a mixture of reptiles and machines, that drop dead when their mothership, the source of their energy, is destroyed. There is at least one Über-Chitauri, their leader. I don't know if he's called the Other because he's different, but Loki met him when the Void spit him out in Chitauri space, and after whatever else happened there, he gave Loki that sceptre as a tool to turn him into a tool-"

"Whoa- wait a minute," Tony broke in, "Are you saying Frosty was being controlled by the glow stick of destiny?"

"I wasn't." Loki snapped, then frowned and admitted. "Not totally. I still had some moments of clarity. Let's say I was heavily influenced."

"Just like you _heavily influenced_ Barton and Selvig?"

"No, that's different. I merely switched their loyalty and used their abilities. I helped Selvig to focus on scientific research by sharing my knowledge with him, and I used Barton for what he's good at. Don't worry about the virtue of a skilled assassin. He would have done exactly the same things had Fury given the orders. I didn't direct his every move. I gave him free rein to do what served me best, and when Selvig said he needed iridium, it was Barton who knew how to get it-"

"Which led to your act in Stuttgart," Tony recalled.

"Ah... that." Loki had the nerve to grin at the memory. "Well, that was just for fun. I wanted to see how far I could go-"

"You were about to kill an innocent old man just for the fun of it, only because he stood up against you and dared to defy you."

"I threatened him." Loki corrected Tony. "'twas never my intention to kill him, but-" he fell silent for a moment before admitting, "The sceptre has a will of its own."

"So it was also the will of the sceptre that made you kill Phil?"

"He threatened me with an enormous weapon and didn't even know what it would do!"

"Ooh, you were scared? Now that explains-"

"I wasn't scared!" Loki insisted in a sharp, almost stubborn tone. "I was... concerned. I had to defend myself."

"You stabbed him in the back! That hardly qualifies as self-defence." Tony said sternly. "And don't tell me you were instead trying to hide behind Phil but the sceptre developed a will of its own."

"Well, to me it seems the sceptre reacts to emotions." Raven gave to consider and both men turned to stare at her as if they had forgotten she was still there. She continued. "It fuels your anger and and feeds on your fear, thus it brings out the worst of you."

"You really want to blame it all on the sceptre?" Tony frowned at her.

"No, not all of it. I'm just looking for answers."

"Well, so do I. I just don't find them satisfying."

"Then, perhaps, you should start asking the right questions. If the Chitauri are not Loki's allies, what was he doing there? How did he get to that dead end of space?"

"You said the _Void_ spit him out there." Tony recalled, and he blanched ever so slightly when his own memories of falling through the wormhole made it superfluous to ask what the Void was. It was what kept him awake at nights; it was what almost triggered an anxiety attack, and he had to try hard to remember how to breathe.

Raven moved closer to him, pointing a finger at his chest. "You can't sleep because you stayed up there for how long, precisely? Minutes? Or was it just seconds before you fell out of the wormhole back down to earth? Don't get me wrong, Tony, I don't want to diminish your traumatic experience, but Loki, broken as he was already after the revelation of his true parentage, was cast out into that nothingness, drifting for months, almost a year, before the Chitauri found him, and whatever they did to him, it made him desperate enough to close a bargain with the Other."

Tony was breathing heavily, but he refrained from the urge to suit up just to feel safe. Instead, he rasped. "I need a drink. Anyone else?"

Without waiting for an answer, he refilled his glass and downed it. Then he glanced at Raven. "How did you know?"

"I've been watching you. Microexpressions, body language... but even without that it's hard to not notice the dark circles under your eyes."

Tony helped himself to another glass of scotch; this time, he also refilled Loki's glass and handed it to the Asgardian. The gesture came close to a peace offering, as if he was beginning to understand what Loki had been through.

He frowned at Raven. "Microexpressions- that's not even a proper science."

"I agree, it's just as debatable as the use of _Veratiserum_, but in combination with a gentle touch of _Legilimency_ it's quite effective, actually." She replied.

"What?"

"I assume- given that she's a witch- she is speaking about the magic of this realm, although I'm not yet familiar with the terms of mortal magic." Loki explained smugly.

"Hocus-pocus... damn, I can't blame Legolas for giving you a good beating to wipe that smug smile off your face. But he got carried away and went too far-"

Loki clenched his fists, though not in an aggressive manner. It was obvious to see he was just feeling very uncomfortable with this conversation. After a moment of silence, he asked cautiously. "That man you called Phil... was he a friend of yours?"

"He was an idiot. He shouldn't have tried to take on you alone. He should have-" Tony paused and finished with a bitter edge. "He was a good man."

"You do realize that even if I'd say I'm sorry, it wouldn't change a thing? I cannot undo what I've done."

That was as close to an apology as Loki was ever willing to give, and in the end he was right. Speaking out the words _I'm sorry_ wouldn't change a fucking thing. Phil Coulson would remain dead, as well as all the other casualties that fell victim of his ill-advised plan. He would have to live with that. No one could ever take that weight off his shoulders.

And yet, in spite of that, there was still hope for him. It showed in the face of his former enemy, who was willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. Not forgiving, not forgetting, but not reluctant to put aside the blame for a while, either.

A smile curled up Raven's lip as she watched the two guys who were so very different but seemed to have so much more in common than expected. Both of them had suffered from their overbearing fathers, constantly striving for recognition, but only Tony had succeeded in finding his own way.

Tony Stark, the genius. Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Iron Man. The popular guy, the darling of the media. Volatile, self-obsessed, not playing well with others, according to S.H.I.E.L.D. And that was just listing some facets of personality he displayed in public.

Raven assumed that only a very few people knew who Tony Stark really was. He was not the kind of guy who talked about his feelings- he'd wrap them in a joke, make a jest, and hide away in his lab for some tinkering.

Loki, however, was much too emotional for his own good. He might mock others for their sentiments, but if someone hurt him he'd lash out mercilessly- which had landed him in this mess. Apparently, the sceptre had messed with his emotions, had increased his anger, his fear, triggering some extreme reactions.

It surprised her, though, how willingly he seemed to tolerate Tony chiding him. Of course, Tony was right, and he had every reason to mistrust Loki, even every reason to hate him. But he had chosen otherwise, probably out of curiosity- and probably he could give the Asgardian a gentle shove in the right direction, because Loki had come to like him. And that shouldn't come as a surprise to Raven, given that Tony was everything that would naturally intrigue Loki... well, perhaps it was mainly the fact that he was so totally not like any Asgardian. Although Tony Stark knew how to fight, he didn't treasure that above anything else. It was rather his sharp intellect and dark humour that Loki liked. Or because Tony had offered him a drink...

Anyhow, both of them would likely benefit from making the first few tentative and cautious steps towards friendship. Raven watched them drinking, sticking their heads together, talking quietly, and she decided to leave them alone for a while and to focus her attention on the holographic projection of S.H.I.E.L.D files that were still up in midair.

Unlike the FBI or the CIA, S.H.I.E.L.D was an agency she was not really familiar with, and Raven was keen to learn more about the structure of this organisation. Of course, everything was top secret, and there were different levels of clearance for every member of S.H.I.E.L.D. She found out that most of the Avengers were level six, except for Captain America and Tony Stark... latter only because he- or Jarvis- was clever enough to hack into level ten and therefore into all the secrets Director Fury was trying to keep.

She was impressed, especially since Jarvis had managed to make the intrusion untraceable. If Jarvis was a real person, she'd bow her head to him. Since he wasn't, he kept her approval of his skills to herself and focused on Erik Selvig's notes about the Tesseract instead.

Very soon, however, she came to realize that his notes were like a closed book to her. Scrolling down chart after chart of equitations- the Muggle way of attempting to explain the world by the means of mathematics and physics using variables to set up rules. But she was a witch, and magic was like the abrogation of these rules; it was ever-changing, not to be bent by variables.

She was a witch. Selvig was an astrophysicist. It was like two worlds colliding, leaving her standing there like a total dunderhead. Alright, she could probably calculate the drift of a bullet, some basic stuff she'd learned when studying forensics, but astrophysics or thermonuclear science were far above her understanding, like a riddle wrapped up in an enigma.

Staring mindlessly at numbers that didn't make any sense to her, Raven finally noticed something that did when she came upon some handwritten notes of Selvig that S.H.I.E.L.D must have scanned for the sake of completeness. Probably, they didn't even mean much to S.H.I.E.L.D- but she saw something in them that seemed to be worthy to share with Loki and Tony.

"Guys, take a look at that. What do you see?"

Tony moved closer, studying the notes with a frown on his face. Then he shrugged. "Selvig's notes before he noticed he needed iridium as a stabilizing agent to break through the coulomb barrier and-"

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Raven cut him off.

"But I do." Loki grinned at Tony. "However, I guess you can't impress her with your technique-babble. She noticed something else entirely. Is that correct?"

"Um... yeah. Look at Selvig's notes. He was unfocussed for most of the part- you see it the way he scribbled, crossed out things, started anew, made a note to call Jane- but then he finally seemed to get his act together. His writing is much clearer, more determined..."

"I assume he wrote this after I expanded his mind." Loki said.

Tony groaned.

"What? I influenced his research by giving him access to ancient knowledge and-"

"And in the end he outwitted you by building in a safety to cut the power source."

Loki arched a sophisticated brow at Tony. "Ah, and you think that was Selvig's fabulous idea? Maybe he was a great scientist, once. He certainly has potential, but he prefers to waste it away for his love of beer. He's a drunkard in a lab coat. I gave him new purpose. I helped him to focus. I gave him the chance to be a great scientist again, and I told him to build in the safety."

"You?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Yes. Of course. The Chitauri lack finesse; I didn't want them to destroy the realm I meant to rule." Loki turned around and walked to the window, staring outside. In a more quiet tone he continued, "I didn't want the Other to come here..."

"So, this Other guy- he's after the Tesseract? Is that all he wants?"

"Isn't that reason enough?" Loki snapped, hitting the window pane with his flat hand as if squashing an invisible fly, before he shook his head and admitted grudgingly. "He also has unfinished business with me."

"Oh, another one in a long line! Tell me, Frosty, is there anyone in the universe you have _**not**_ pissed off?"

Loki actually pondered that question for a moment, then he turned to face Tony and said with a lopsided smile. "There are realms I haven't visited yet."

Tony tried hard to keep up a stoic face but failed. In the end, he couldn't help chuckling. "Now that was a good one."

Raven chuckled, too. "Well, for the record, he hasn't managed yet to piss me off. Not totally, at least."

"Ah, and what's your secret? Meditation? Hocus-pocus?"

"Understanding." She said curtly.

"Remind me to try that one day. But- you mentioned the Other is their boss, sort of an Über-Chitauri, and probably more advanced than the rest of them. When did you become an alien expert?"

"I'm not. It's just... one of them crashed into Sev's greenhouse while Edie and I were sunbathing, and it was obvious it didn't stop by for a coffee. Instead, it attacked immediately after falling from the sky. I had to protect my friend, a Muggle, and myself, so I fought it. Interestingly, the Chitauri seem to be immune to the Killing Curse- which would have caused a stroke- but it died when I severed off its arm. Later, I had it taken to Headquarters where I autopsied it the day after. It was fascinating-"

"Whoa! You kept a souvenir and- you have weird hobbies, eh?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes. I told you it's the investigative work that intrigues me most, and medical examination is probably the most interesting part of it. At first glance, the Chitauri appear to be of a very weird humanoid species with reptile influence, and indeed they have the three-chambered heart of reptiles, but instead of two atria there are wires not running blood but energy."

"I already assumed they were powered by their mothership because they dropped dead the moment it exploded." Tony recalled.

"It's the same energy that powers the sceptre... ancient power... a blueish glow that's everywhere in Chitauri space." Loki explained, shuddering ever so slightly at the memory. "It's the only light in that dead end of space where they got stranded, aeons ago. They need the Tesseract to get away from there, back to the world of the living... and I... I promised to get them the cube." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But I never intended to give it to them."

"Just out of curiosity- do you ever intend to keep any of your promises?"

"Do you think I should, metal head? And if you're referring to me lying to Thor- well, he's an idiot..."

"Yeah, I got that. But I want to know whether I can trust you if you never keep your word."

"You'd be a fool to trust me." Loki left his place by the window and approached Tony, stopping right in front of him. "How about you, Stark? Do_ you_ always keep your word, no matter what?" Without waiting for a reply he continued. "Barton told me about that incident in Afghanistan, when you were being held captive by terrorists, and they tortured you so you would give them the weapon technology they desired. Did you cave in? Or did you try to outsmart them, pretending to be cooperative to save your own skin, instead of dying a heroic death and taking your secrets to the grave? You built your first suit in that cave. Because you wanted to get away from them, you wanted to survive. And you succeeded."

"Yeah, true- but why is this about me now? I took the consequences. The day I came home I held a press conference and informed the media that with effective immediately Stark Industries would shut down weapon manufacturing. I've changed. I still don't know about you-"

"Why, I'm here, trying to help you to get rid of the Tesseract- a force, you cannot hope to control. Keep on dabbling with its powers and soon more aliens will come to invade your lovely Earth."

"Just give me a second to admire your noble and oh-so-totally selfless motivation."

"Um, Tony," Raven cut in, looking up from the holographic projections, "as much as I hate to interrupt your idle banter- but didn't you say I have weird hobbies? Now, how weird is that? _Item 63, Chitauri leg-_ why would anyone keep a Chitauri leg?"

"Is that the list of what S.H..I.E.L.D found in the aftermath of the battle?"

"So it seems._ Item 43, Chitauri weapon; item 168, handlebar of Chitauri spacecraft; item 395, Chitauri body, burned.._. and so on." She heaved a sigh; it was so damned frustrating to have the highest clearance level possible and yet not being able to find what they were looking for. Actually, it wastotal lack of information about the Tesseract that was probably the most interesting.

Loki appeared at her side and peered over her shoulder at the list. "Is there anything about the Tesseract or the sceptre?"

Raven shook her head no.

"Then why do you bother with something as insignificant as Chitauri parts? Especially, if they aren't even here anymore- or did you not notice they were taken to a place called the Hub?"

Well, she had noticed that but hadn't paid much attention to it. "Yeah, but what is the Hub?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D's top secret headquarters," Tony informed her, "so secret that its location is classified even to most of S.H.I.E.L.D-"

"It's somewhere near Washington." Loki cut him off in a slightly bored tone, unperturbed by the fact that both Tony and Raven were gaping at him. Then, his voice took on a more impatient edge. "But that's not the point. The Tesseract is still here in New York. Fury has not sent it off, because if that had been his intention, he would have done so the moment my idiot brother handed him the cube."

"Alright, Loki, you said you could sense the power of the Tesseract while you were being held captive at S.H.I.E.L.D... but, given how thoroughly they catalogued every single bit of Chitauri shit they found in the streets, shouldn't there at least be a note stating Thor had left the cube in Fury's care?"

Tony frowned. "Now, that's interesting... not a bad approach to start with. So what's Fury up to? Jarvis, what did he tell the Council?"

"What Council?" Raven inquired.

"They're the grey eminence behind S.H.I.E.L.D, the ones Fury has to answer to... well, if it suits him. But hey, listen to that!" Tony clicked his fingers and at once, Jarvis played the required footage of Fury's conversation with the council, four people on screens, clouded in a diffuse grey light that made it impossible to see their faces. Even their voices sounded slightly off.

_And the Tesseract?_

_The Tesseract is were it belongs: out of our reach, _Fury replied much to everyone's surprise.

_That's not your call._

_I didn't make it. I just didn't argue with the god that did._

"What?" Raven gasped, sounding totally flabbergasted. "I dunno 'bout you guys, but I don't trust him. Or does any of you really believe he'd hand over the Tesseract to Thor if he asks nicely?"

"Hm, Nick's decidedly not the most trustworthy person I've ever met, but he does have some sort of moral compass- I just don't have the foggiest idea of how it works." Tony gave to consider. "Nevertheless, he seems to be prone to keep his word to Thor. So I suggest we keep our pants on and refrain from fretting until we hear news from him."

It was plain to see that Loki wasn't happy with that decision and Raven seemed to share his reluctance, but in the end she agreed. There was nothing they could do right now; there was no point in trying to force a solution that simply wasn't there. They would have to wait until tomorrow, until Thor had spoken with Fury, before they could act... or react...

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review. It's my birthday :)


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